Rias' Black Knight
by King Draconias
Summary: Lelouch Lamperouge has had some strange luck with contracts in the past. Somehow, this one felt different. Devil, Angel, or Fallen Angel, those titles meant nothing in the face of the Power of the King returned. Look out world, Zero has arrived.
1. Chapter 1: This Feels Familiar

**I recently got interested in High School DxD (don't ask why, I blame my friends who know I can't resist an interesting plot. Even if I personally could do with _less_ fanservice). And I've seen a couple crossovers with Code Geass and I had a couple ideas so I wanted to throw my lot in and see what comes out.**

 **Fair warning, I really have no clue where I'm going with this (unlike my main Code Geass story, I have _so_ many plans for that one) so this may follow DxD canon for a while as I try to hit my stride.**

 **Still, as Lelouch tries to figure out why he's in this world and brings his own unique experiences into the story, things will begin to change.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: This Feels Familiar**

* * *

Lelouch yawned as he slowly walked down a somewhat busy street in the Japanese town of Kuoh. He rubbed his left eye to try to rub out the last vestiges of his sleep as he stopped once more to stare at the gates of a school. Rather, the school _he_ attended.

' _How in either my world or this one did I end up having to go to school_ again?!' Lelouch mentally groaned to himself as he tried to remember what he had done to deserve this.

Oh wait, that list was rather long actually. Being the Demon Emperor back in his world before his death had given him a rather… _impressive_ list of sins.

A body count in the millions would have justified pretty much any punishment a God wanted to deliver unto him.

Still, he could not for the life of him remember how he had arrived in this world. The last thing Lelouch remembered was lying next to Nunnally as he slowly felt his heart stop beating as it had to deal with a rather large slice after he was pierced by Zero's blade. And, even if he was meant to be punished by the God of his world, why in his Hell or any other would the Collective Unconscious choose to send him to another world as the punishment for his actions? He was rather certain he deserved to rot in the deepest pits of Hell for his actions, despite the remorse he felt for his crimes and the fact that he all did it to try and create the peaceful world his beloved little sister deserved.

When attempting to become the most hated tyrant in history, whether he felt bad about it would mean nothing in the eyes of a God seeking to punish him.

He had considered that perhaps the reason he had been sent here was because his ultimate punishment wasn't to suffer in Hell, it was to be denied the right to see if he had succeeded in creating the world Nunnally desired, even if he could have only seen it from the underworld. But he dismissed it as unlikely since he had already planned on being unable to see his world after he planned his own death.

It had to be another reason.

Lelouch was shaken from his depressing line of thought as he heard squealing from a bunch of teenage girls mixed with the sound of many, many kendo sticks smacking flesh. "You freaks!" shouted one of the girls. "How dare you spy on us as we're changing!" She screamed incoherently and gave one final swing to hit the brown-haired boy between his legs.

The resulting crunch could have been the boy's equipment, or it could have been the bamboo sword snapping in two. Either way, Lelouch cringed in minor sympathy even though he knew full well the boy and his two friends had at least some of that coming to them considering their rather open perverted tendencies.

The "perverted trio" as they were known were rather… _infamous_ with how little traditional boundaries like changing rooms, or even bathrooms, meant to them if it prevented them from catching a peek at one of their classmates' more intimate areas.

He was genuinely surprised none of them had been arrested for sexual harassment yet, but guessed that there could be a few reasons why. Perhaps, while the girls here were more than willing to beat them up for spying on them, they were reluctant to ruin their lives by giving them a criminal record with something like that. As that required Lelouch to assume a great deal of personal decency on the part of every girl who had ever gotten peeped on by the trio, he felt it was rather unlikely. He preferred his second theory and believed it was more likely there was someone in the school protecting the trio, or at the very least one of them, by making sure the incidents didn't leave the school.

Coming up with conspiracy theories was a fun pastime, but the fact remained that it was a genuine miracle none of the idiots had gotten arrested for being a public menace.

Lelouch sighed in irritation and decided it was a waste of time paying attention to the idiots as he made his way to class. According to the records he had, which he had to request from the Japanese government, he was an emancipated minor born to parents from the United Kingdom, apparently this world's Britannia though far less powerful. It still felt weird to consider the massive differences between this world's history and his own, but by far the strangest thing, well personal thing, was the fact that both of his parents in this world, had they even existed in the first place, were killed when he was nine years old. The same age he had been when his mother had been murdered in his world. There was no cause of death given to him, all he knew was that they had left him a small home in the city in which he lived and a small, compared to what he was used to at least, amount of money thanks to their insurance.

His means of living were far more modest in this world, but it wasn't too bad. He wouldn't have to worry about money until he graduated high school at the very least. Though the fact that he was somehow legally considered sixteen kind of pissed him off.

He had spent two years, dear God that was a short amount of time now that he thought about it, waging war against his homeland and conquered the world when he was eighteen. Being reset to the age of sixteen, the age he had been a year _before_ he had begun his rebellion, made it seem like those two years hadn't even happened. Which, in this world, he supposed they didn't.

Still, he had conquered the damn world without graduating high school, he was pissed he had to go through all of the same crap again. Though, without Milly, at least things were far less insane at Kuoh Academy.

Apparently, his irritation had shown through slightly as he noticed a small hand touch his shoulder to try and calm him down. "You okay Lelouch?" a soft voice asked the dark-haired young man. Lelouch turned and gave a soft smile at the petite white-haired girl who spoke to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine Koneko." He replied easily. Koneko didn't talk much, preferring to indulge in her sweets rather than conversation, but the fifteen-year-old was one of the few female students who didn't pester him for dates.

Not really interested in talking with any of his classmates had unfortunately saddled him with the title of "Kuoh's Black Prince" with a reputation for being the "cool, silent type". No matter what world he was in, he apparently couldn't escape fangirls.

At least Milly wasn't around to egg them on anymore.

"Just a little tired, I was studying rather late last night." Koneko blinked at his explanation and, with blank "later", waved and made her way to her own classes. Lelouch ignored this rather odd, though normal for Koneko, behavior and did the same. It wasn't like they wouldn't meet up later.

Koneko would want some of the sweets he had brought today for lunch.

After it was outed to the whole school what a good cook he was, he was meticulous to the nth degree when it came to mixing ingredients, she politely asked for some sweets. And he had said no, then she had asked the next day. He'd still said no. This routine had continued for _weeks_ before Lelouch gave in and, before she could ask again one day, had shoved a cookie he had made into her mouth.

The quiet moan she let out when she tasted the cookie he had made for her creeped him out a lot, but he nonetheless had given her the batch he made and promised he would bring her sweets from now on if she would stop bothering him with her begging.

Koneko sat with him at lunch ever since, though he did notice the periodic glances her club's President had given her whenever she did so. The four foot six Koneko sitting next to the near six feet tall Lelouch did seem rather odd at first glance, but Rias had gotten a kick out of Koneko declaring his sweets some of the best she'd ever tasted so she had little problem with her friend indulging her sweet tooth.

Though Lelouch had found the warning Rias had delivered when they were alone one day rather amusing. He had no romantic inclinations to anyone, at best he considered Koneko a close acquaintance. There was no one at Kuoh he thought he could consider a legitimate friend, but considering his luck with friends that was probably a good thing,

As Lelouch sat down in his class, he ignored the bell that signaled he had only just made it in time, and stared out the window. His first class wasn't something he would learn anything new in after all.

He'd devoured this world's history as best he could when he learned that no one had ever even heard of "Britannia". There wasn't much a high school history class could teach him that he didn't already know because of his paranoia at making sure he wouldn't have to deal with any superpowers deciding to invade Japan.

Unless America, apparently Washington's Rebellion had succeeded here, got a hair up its ass and decided to invade Japan for some reason, Lelouch didn't have much to worry about. Apparently, this world had been a relative peace ever since the end of a period known as the "Cold War". Except for the American's interventions in the Middle East, which was the most understated way of putting it, there hadn't been any major wars in quite some time.

As he was asked a question by the teacher, Lelouch answered with his typical poise, not even acknowledging the teacher's existence out of sheer boredom.

As it stood right now, maybe the unending boredom of high school was the punishment intended by the Collective Unconscious.

* * *

Lelouch walked quietly out of his school back onto the streets of Kuoh and shifted his backpack slightly as he grumbled to himself. "I _hate_ homework." He would almost prefer Hell to this he mused. Then the former Prince blinked as he saw something rather strange. A girl dressed in some sort of bat cosplay handing out flyers.

"Hey sir, would you like a flyer?" She saw him, shit. Lelouch sighed and figured he could always throw it away later. "Sure." He said with resignation. Just another thing to read later, he groused. As if his homework weren't enough.

He stuffed the flyer in his pocket and kept on walking. He wanted to get home and finish up his homework before trying to get some more sleep. He had studied far too late the night before and needed the extra nap he planned on taking if he didn't want to lose his edge.

A mind, no matter how talented, needed adequate rest or it would fail to function at full capacity. Lelouch refused to let his mind lose its edge just because he was bored out of his skull.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, he fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out his key. Blinking slightly at the change in light since he had shut the light off before he left, he flicked the switch on the wall close to the door.

"Home sweet home." Lelouch mumbled sarcastically. He tossed his backpack onto the couch next to the entrance and made his way to the kitchen to make himself a snack. His home was a modest two story dwelling in the city, with the second story mainly containing his single bedroom and a bathroom with a shower and bathtub. The first floor, after entering through the entrance, held a closet on the back wall and a kitchen to the left, the staircase leading to the second floor on the far-right wall. The rest was the living room that contained a single couch in front of a window, a glass coffee table in front, and a television inside a medium sized entertainment center between the closet and the staircase. There was also a bookcase filled with history books and other books Lelouch had found interesting between the entertainment center and the staircase. There were no excess decorations, it was very Spartan for a high school student, but that's how Lelouch preferred it.

Not much, but it was a decent place to live all things considered. Lelouch finished making his snack, placing the knife in the sink after making his sandwich. He ate it quickly as he walked up to take a quick shower to relax after another annoying day in class, then he'd get started on his homework.

He quickly climbed the stairs, walked down the hall, and made his way into the bathroom. As he flicked on the light, Lelouch removed his uniform jacket before peeling off the rest of his clothes, he turned the knob in the shower and waited a few minutes for it to warm up. Stepping in, he groaned in relief as he felt the nice warm water cascade down his form.

Nothing quite like a hot shower after a day of boredom.

It was the simple pleasures that made life worth living he decided.

* * *

Later that night, Lelouch was dreaming about his past. Only, it had been going differently than he remembered.

He found himself trapped in Shinjuku again, but instead of escaping after taking control of the terrorist group, he found himself trapped under rubble with C.C. who granted him Geass once more. Only this Geass was a completely different kind compared to the one he had been granted in his first life.

He woke up suddenly, feeling suffocated by the black armor that had appeared around him in his not-memory dream. Lelouch slowly sat up, moving the blankets off of his sweating body as he tried to stop himself from shaking. ' _What…_ was _that?_ ' He wondered quietly as he stared at his shaking hands. Whatever that armor was, it was _nothing_ like his own Zero uniform. It was impossible to describe how it felt as anything other than _wrong_. It was something that should not have existed.

"I need a drink." Lelouch murmured as he clenched his fists to force them to stop shaking. He shoved his blankets away from his sweating body and stood up wearing only his black boxers, preferring to sleep like that when it was a hot night like this. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness before making his way down stairs to avoid falling down the stairs. As he made his way to his kitchen, Lelouch thought about what he was going to do about the dreams he kept having.

This dream was only the most recent in a string of strange dreams that had been occurring on and off for the past month or so. This one was somewhat different, he could actually recall it for one, but it was also different in the overwhelming sense of pure dread that had permeated the dream. He had not felt like that in Shinjuku back what felt like a lifetime ago, he had been scared for his life yes, but the overarching sense of dread he felt in that dream felt far worse.

He opened up his fridge and pulled out some milk and a glass from his cupboard. He poured himself a glass of cool milk and made his way back to his living room. He decided to flick on the television for a little background noise as he drank his milk and turned on his couch to stare out the window at the black sky. It was a full moon tonight, lighting up the vast expanse of space alongside the stars in the sky.

Although, there seemed to be a shooting star tonight he noticed. Lelouch blinked as he realized something alarming. ' _Um, it's coming this way… and it's not stopping._ ' His mind supplied only one phrase he could say at this moment as he quickly ran to the far corner of his living room, curling up to protect his head between his bookcase and the stairs. He saw the light about to crash through his window. "Fuck my life." His window shattered and Lelouch ducked down to avoid the shards of glass flying through the air. He got lucky for once and none of the shards hit him, but the star, rather the body that was glowing like one, smashed into his table and he had to resist a groan at how much it was going to cost to replace it as it completely shattered.

Lelouch eyed the groaning mass of flesh laying on the remains of his table from his position in the shadow of his staircase. "Ow, fuck, fuck, fuck!" the female figure shouted. "I'll kill you for that you fucking devil bastard!" The blonde-haired girl's clothing was… well shredded was the best description Lelouch could come up with.

Her Lolita dress was hanging on to her petite form by literal threads, one of her pigtails had come loose, draping her hair over her right eye. And he could very easily see her breasts, the shreds she may have once called clothing doing nothing to hide her form. But the thing that drew most of Lelouch's attention were the black feathered wings coming out of her back. He heard flapping sounds and turned to his window again in time to see another figure with black wings enter through his destroyed window, landing on the shards of glass and glaring at the blonde thing in front of him.

"You're quite vulgar aren't you," the voice of Kiba sounded. "Is that why you Fell?" Lelouch blinked in shock at seeing his blond classmate with black wings coming out of his back. Unfortunately for Lelouch, when he tried to shift to escape upstairs, his foot crunched some of the glass on the floor, he flinched as the glass dug into his foot but more importantly the sound had the effect of drawing the attention of the two winged creatures that broke into his home. "Hello there," the blonde said seductively which creeped Lelouch out. "Are you dressed like that just for me?" On the other hand, Kiba's response made Lelouch want to strangle the blond man.

"Lelouch, what are you doing here?" Kiba asked confusedly. He had been doing a little extra homework in the clubroom when little miss Fallen had burst in looking to attack Rias for some reason he hadn't bothered to ask about before jumping into action.

"I live here you dumbass." Lelouch grumbled before blinking in shock. The blonde girl had moved, she wasn't where she was a second ago. Suddenly, a familiar pain spread through his body as Lelouch grunted, coughing up some blood, the metallic taste coating his tongue as it once had a lifetime ago. His blood dripped down his chin as he looked down to see the petite blonde girl holding a spear of light.

The spear of light that was piercing through his chest in a mockery eerily familiar of his first death.

The evil blonde chuckled. "I'm sorry bout this cutie, but if this guy knows you then your death will provide me a good distraction as he tries to save your life." She whispered into his ears as he felt his legs become numb as his spine was severed by the spear exiting his back. She yanked out the spear and burst through the second floor and the roof, flying away as Lelouch collapsed when the spear was no longer around to hold him up. He hit the glass covered floor, and coughed again as he felt the familiar pain of his own death rearing its ugly head.

He heard someone calling his name, forcing his body to turn over as Lelouch self-examined his own wound. His sternum was pierced all the way through, severing his spine from anything below it, the blade, whatever it was, was also wide enough to pierce both of his lungs as well as his heart, but was just small enough to leave small enough wounds to where he wouldn't die immediately he clinically analyzed. He would die either from the shock of his spine being severed, by drowning in his own blood, or by his heart refusing to continue beating.

This was meant to be a death where the victim would suffer, he realized as his fear began to overtake his mind for the first time in a long time.

He couldn't hear what was going on above him, his eyes were too weak now to see anything other than a blurry blond figure over him, trying to convince him to stay alive he guessed. "I don't want to die alone, not again." His whispered last words slipped out by accident as two tears streaked down his bloody face. For the first time since he had resigned himself to his fate to die at the hands of Zero, Lelouch felt the overwhelming fear of death flood his soul. This time he didn't even have the beautiful visage of his beloved little sister to comfort him as he died. He had been so proud of her. Nunnally had finally chosen her own path in life. "Nunnally." He whispered brokenly as the last thing Lelouch saw was a bright crimson light fill his living room.

In the presence of a being he didn't know existed wearing the face of a somewhat close acquaintance, suffering at the hands of a Fallen Angel, Lelouch Lamperouge died.

* * *

Lelouch gasped as he breathed in, opening his eyes in shock that he was somehow still alive. He sat up, realizing he was in someone else's bed as soon as he noticed the blankets had a bunch of kitten designs on them. His own bed was nothing but plain white, having felt little reason to decorate it.

"Oh good, you're awake." The flat voice of the last person he expected whose bed he expected to wake up in sounded next to him. Koneko sat up next to him and stretched her arms above her head before wrapping one arm around him giving him a small hug. "I'm glad you're alive." She whispered quietly before letting him go.

"Koneko, what the hell is going on, and why are you naked?" Lelouch asked calmly, trying to remain collected so he didn't do something stupid. He closed his eyes as his confusion began to spawn a headache. "And for that matter, why am I naked, in bed, with you?" He looked her directly in the eyes. She returned his serious look before kicking off the covers from her body but leaving some still pooled around his waist to protect his modesty, crawling over him before standing up and moving over to her closet. Lelouch closed his eyes again as he turned his head to give her some privacy as she got dressed.

Koneko pulled on her underwear and spoke to her friend. "Clothes interfere with healing magic." She clasped her bra after pulling on her panties and fumbled through her closet, looking for some good clothes to wear. "Kiba called the President after he realized he couldn't save you and she brought you back, but she had to go heal someone else so she brought you to me." Koneko turned her head to Lelouch as she pulled on a pink t-shirt with a white cat's face on it. "Akeno isn't much of a healer and I needed to make sure the healing magic had as little interfering with it as possible." She blushed slightly in embarrassment before admitting, "I'm not as good as Lady Rias when it comes to healing wounds, but your wound wasn't going away even after Lady Rias saved you and I didn't want to lose my friend." She pulled on the white skirt she had picked out before fully turning to Lelouch, who was rubbing his forehead in irritation. "Any questions?" She asked, knowing that the transition wasn't always easy to take.

Lelouch mentally groaned as he listened to Koneko. He rubbed his head as he began to feel a severe headache developing the longer her explanation went on, though he felt a spark of appreciation that she considered him a friend even if he had yet to go so far. Apparently, there was far more to this world than he had been led to believe, and now he was truly wondering why in the Hell would his world's God send him here. At that thought a splitting pain pierced his skull causing his groan to become audible. He ignored it and considered the possibility. Koneko had said his wound wasn't healing despite… something. "What do you mean when you say when Rias," how had she put it? " _brought me back_?" That was rather confusing.

Koneko moved back to her bed, crawling over and sat down next to him, getting comfortable leaning back into her pillows which she had fluffed up to lay back against her headboard. "After you were stabbed by the Fallen Angel Kiba was fighting," she started, ignoring Lelouch's snort at _Fallen Angel_ , "you were dying." She brought her knees up to her chest to block out the pain in her heart. "Actually, by the time Lady Rias arrived. You had died." Koneko looked at Lelouch to gauge his reaction, his face had gone blank.

So, he had died at the hands of a Fallen Angel, and somehow Rias revived him. "I see." He said quietly. "Why did Rias bring me back? And how, exactly can she bring back the dead?" His voice was hollow as he considered what he would have done with that power. Pink hair and warm eyes flashed in his memory as he closed his eyes, reminding him of the two deaths that had affected him the most in his life. ' _Euphie, Shirley_.' He ignored his memories as best he could so he could hear Koneko's reply.

"Kiba convinced her," Koneko said, which reminded her, she needed to thank him. Maybe she could share some of her sweets with the blond next time he asked. "As for the how, she brought you back as one of her Pieces." Lelouch went ramrod straight at that, causing Koneko to look at him strange. "What's wrong?"

Lelouch resisted the urge to growl, took a deep breath before asking his question. "What do you mean by _pieces_?" He asked, suppressing his rage at the thought of being used by someone _yet again_ after everything that had gone on in his past life. He didn't care if she had saved his life, there was no way in Hell he would be forced to be someone's pawn again.

"Evil Pieces are a tool given to Devils so they can revive humans to act as their servants." Koneko spoke, noticing Lelouch still looked incredibly tense. "But Lady Rias doesn't force us to do anything we don't want to so we're more like her companions." Her friend's body loosened up slightly, but Koneko knew what his next question would be. She had been trying to dance around the Devil topic as carefully as she could, but discussing the Evil Pieces pretty much required her to bring up her status as well as his own.

"What do you mean, Devils?" Lelouch asked carefully, calming down slightly though he was still uncomfortable with being someone's _Piece_ , he was somewhat reassured that Rias, whatever the Hell she was, wasn't likely to abuse this. At least according to Koneko.

Koneko sighed, turning her head to look out her bedroom window as she explained her friend's new circumstances. "Devils, like Lady Rias, have tools called Evil Pieces that can be used to gather humans as servants." She repeated before elaborating further. "Evil Pieces are capable of resurrecting humans who have recently died as members of the Devil's Peerage, each Piece corresponds to one in the game of chess and it is those Pieces that give us unique attributes depending on the Piece used." Koneko punched the wall next to her bed, causing a much larger hole than should have been possible for a girl her size. "I'm a Rook. I don't know what Piece Lady Rias used on you because she was in a hurry to get back to healing another person, but you can ask her when we meet up with her later today." Koneko turned to see Lelouch's reaction, seeing his shoulders shaking as his hair covered his eyes. She reached up to hold his shoulder in comfort and when she did she was surprised to hear a chuckle escape his lips.

So, he was a Devil now. How… amusing. Lelouch had no idea _why_ he was in this world, but this development was just too funny! He remembered Koneko mentioning that his wound had been failing to heal despite being resurrected and he suspected he knew why. His world's God, he deduced ignoring the pain that split his skull, had likely intended for him to die at the hands of that Fallen Angel as his punishment and because of that his wound refused to be healed at first. This resulted in the Evil Piece's power being insufficient to heal him alone even though it severely weakened the wound's resistance to being healed. It had taken Koneko's constant application of healing magic throughout the night to finish what the Evil Piece had left undone.

A chuckle escaped his lips, before he spoke. "Alright then." He said with a sigh of… satisfaction? It had been a while since he had felt that emotion. He finally had a hint as to why he was in this world in the first place. He turned to Koneko who had placed her hand on his shoulder for some reason. "Do you have any clothes I can wear so we can go meet Rias?" He assumed that, since Koneko hadn't dressed in her uniform that they weren't going to be heading to classes today. Considering how high the sun was, they were likely going to end up skipping the entire day.

Koneko blinked, having forgotten that he was naked. She couldn't let him go to the club room like that. "I don't have any boy's clothes, but I do have some pants you can squeeze into." Koneko got up and pulled out the longest and loosest pants she could find for Lelouch to put on. "You'll have to settle for a coat to wear since I don't have any shirts in your size."

"It's alright, I can wear them on the way to my house so I can get my own clothes before we leave." Lelouch said before he noticed Koneko freeze. "What, something wrong?" She turned to look at him sadly.

"Your home was destroyed, the Fallen Angel launched another spear after escaping. It's pretty much rubble now." She mustered as much tact as she could, which is to say not much.

Lelouch groaned. "Great, just great." He considered his options. "Would you mind buying me some clothes? Until I can get my wallet out of the rubble of my house I have no money and I'd rather not meet Rias in your clothes." Lelouch hated asking Koneko this, but he didn't have much choice.

"Just don't get anything too expensive." Koneko said as she tossed Lelouch some grey sweatpants before digging around in her closet for a coat he could wear and giving him some privacy to put on the pants. "Your boxers were covered in your blood so I had to throw them out, sorry." Koneko would have preferred it if Lelouch wore underwear when wearing her clothes, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She pulled out the biggest coat she had.

Desperate times indeed.

* * *

Lelouch walked next to Koneko, trying his hardest to not let his embarrassment get to him as he picked out some clothes at the closest shop the pair could find. The clothing Lelouch was wearing was comical _at best_ and he really wanted to get something that fit him properly.

The sweatpants he wore were either forced to ride uncomfortably low on his hips or they would bunch up around his knees with each step. On Koneko's four foot six frame they would probably cover her feet, on Lelouch they barely covered halfway down to his shins. And the coat, dear God the coat. Lelouch ignored the splitting headache that he got again, he was noticing a pattern here, as he considered his terrible luck.

Koneko's largest coat was the brightest neon pink Lelouch had ever seen and it left a portion of his lower stomach uncovered, clearly showing he had no shirt on underneath. To top all of this off, the clothes were also _uncomfortably_ tight on his body. If he wasn't as skinny as he was he probably would have ripped them by now actually. The flip flops weren't much better, considering his feet were larger than hers by at least two sizes apparently.

Once Lelouch found a good shirt that was a little bigger than normal and a pair of pants he rushed to the changing room, ignoring the whispers of the few customers in the store. Thank God, the headache was back again, there weren't many people in the store. He didn't think he could handle the humiliation.

Lelouch quickly removed Koneko's clothes once he was in the changing room, after making _sure_ to lock the door. He pulled on the black jeans he had selected, breathing a sigh of relief once he was no longer confined by the grey sweats. He looked at himself in the mirror and blinked in surprise before pulling on the black t-shirt he picked out.

He guessed he filled out more in this world than in his, he hadn't remembered his body having muscles like he currently had. Then again, it could be a side-effect of his resurrection, but it wasn't like he had made it a habit to stare at himself in a mirror to see if he was developing better than before.

Though the massive scar in the middle of his chest was somewhat unnerving.

He walked out of the changing room to find some shoes, he'd get socks and underwear later since they could only be bought in bulk and getting those now felt too much like taking advantage of Koneko's generosity. No matter how uncomfortable he was going commando, he'd deal with it. He quickly found a nice pair of black boots and slipped them on before he made his way to the counter to purchase his clothes.

Koneko was already there waiting for him as he pulled out the tags he had removed from the clothing so they could be scanned, but before she used her cash for his selections she tossed up a large grey hoodie and surprised him. "This too please." Koneko had… gotten him a gift? She had loaned him the money to buy clothes, but he was only planning on purchasing the necessities. Shirt, pants, and shoes. This… was unexpected.

The guy at the checkout counter snickered before Lelouch paid with the cash he'd borrowed, Koneko grabbed the bag they were given and Lelouch placed the clothes she had let him use inside before he found the hoodie shoved into his hands. "I thought this would look nice." She said quietly with a little blush flushing her cheeks. Lelouch handed her the bag and held up the hoodie in front of him. On the upper left side, where a pocket would be on some shirts, was a design of a small black kitten curled up on a white pillow. The back was empty of any design, so Lelouch assumed she must have gotten it for him because of the kitten on the front.

He slipped it on and zipped the hoodie up, leaving a little space so it wouldn't choke him revealing his black shirt underneath and leaving the hood down for now. It was a little big, but comfortable as the wind had picked up a little bit after they left the shop.

"Thank you Koneko. This is the first gift anyone has gotten me in a long time." Lelouch believed the last time he had gotten a gift would be when Nunnally had gotten him a birthday gift the year before he began his rebellion. After that, he hadn't gotten a gift in years.

' _It's been so long since someone has cared enough about me to get me a gift_.' Lelouch realized. C.C. wasn't the type, and when he was acting as Zero he was far too busy to handle celebrating his birthday and it's not like he could've told anyone. When he was Emperor it just didn't seem right to celebrate at all considering what he was doing. Suzaku had agreed. It had been years since he felt genuine thankfulness without a taint of bitterness.

"Thank you." He repeated with a small smile, the first genuine one he had given in years.

Koneko grabbed his hand began to lead him away from the store. "Come on, we have to meet the President." Koneko changed the subject and dragged Lelouch towards the school. "We should get there soon." Lelouch followed her easily enough, but he noticed she didn't let go of his hand.

Maybe there was someone in this world he could try to consider a friend after all. He hoped this friendship turned out better than the last.

* * *

Lelouch sighed deeply as he made himself comfortable on the leather couch in the club room of the Occult Research Club. His eyes didn't seem to need to adjust to the darkness anymore, he had also noticed the sunlight was bothering him during his and Koneko's little trip. He leaned back, tossing his right arm over the back of the couch and crossed his right leg over his left. Lelouch closed his eyes, smelling the incense and candles. Despite the differences, he enjoyed this. Sitting in a club room in a high school, now that brought back some memories. He wondered how Rivalz and Milly turned out, having never been able to find out if Rivalz had told the flighty girl how he felt about her.

When he had enrolled a few months ago into the Academy, against his will since he _really_ hadn't wanted to return to school and had to be forced with the threat of getting arrested for truancy to make him sign up in the first place, he had made it a point to avoid getting involved in any clubs. Despite his good grades which had netted him many offers, he refused because he didn't want to get involved. Come to think of it, one of the few groups that hadn't sent him an offer was the ORC. That just gave more credence to his theory that it was a cover to allow Rias' Peerage, as Koneko had put it, to meet without issue since at least three members of said Peerage were students. He didn't include himself quite yet and he didn't know the name Akeno enough to know whether she was a student or not.

Koneko sat down next to him eating some of the sweets she had made him purchase on the way. After they had stopped by the rubble that had once been his house so he could pick up his wallet, which had miraculously survived as he'd discovered when he found it in the remains of his nightstand's drawer, he bought her some chocolates from a street vendor. His phone had been toast though which annoyed him since they were pretty damn expensive and he'd been determined to make that thing last. Once he'd had his wallet he withdrew enough cash to pay Koneko back for her generosity, but she refused the extra he'd tried to give her in return for the hoodie saying "It's a gift, you shouldn't pay for your own gift." He let it drop after that, but he made a mental note to get Koneko something nice in return.

Other than sweets of course, with the white-haired girl those were less a gift more a promise he had to keep if he didn't want her begging him every day.

"Not as good as yours." The fifteen-year-old complained about the sweets with a pout.

Lelouch's eye twitched. "Gee, sorry my ingredients were all blown up by a _Fallen Angel_. Along with my house." He retorted sarcastically. "Would it make you feel better if I made you extra tomorrow to make up for not _preparing_ well enough for that possibility?" He blinked, wow, that was more bitter than he'd intended for it to come out. Maybe he was more stressed than he'd thought, midterms were coming up soon after all and his house had been absolutely demolished in the attack. And maybe he wasn't taking this whole Devil thing as well as he'd thought.

He'd told his neighbors, when they saw him come back, that he had gone out to get something to eat late at night and stayed over at a friend's, he'd made sure to stress that when he saw the knowing looks the older couple had tossed him and Koneko, when he realized his home had been destroyed. He told them it was a gas explosion due to a heater malfunction and that he forgot to turn off the stove when he left. It was not an argument that would stand up to serious scrutiny, but he had a feeling his neighbors wouldn't dig too deeply into his explanation.

They did offer him a place to stay, but Lelouch declined, not feeling comfortable with the idea. He lied and told them he already had a place, but he didn't know what he was going to do. He hoped to have a plan figured out by the end of the day.

"You don't need to be mean about it." Koneko said sadly. Lelouch saw her hair practically droop in response to his biting comment. "Fine, I'll make you extra tomorrow." He conceded, ignoring the sudden return of her "perkiness". What was perky or sad for Koneko was flat for a vast majority people but Lelouch, an individual who was an expert at reading people due to his experiences, had managed to discern most of Koneko's moods rather well since they had known each other over the past few months. He still couldn't do it as well as her friends, he assumed, but he had observed her in their interactions and managed to figure her out somewhat.

He knew that Rias, Kiba, or even the Akeno person he had yet to meet could likely read her better, but Lelouch knew enough to avoid the landmines that could either enrage or sadden the stoic girl. He had seen her mad once… Only once. And he was _very_ glad he wasn't the one on the other end of her anger.

They had transferred to another school, last he heard.

As for making her sad, well Lelouch wasn't a vindictive person to someone who didn't deserve it. Koneko, aside from bugging him for sweets for a few weeks, hadn't done anything that seriously angered him or even annoyed him in their interactions with one another. In fact, he infinitely preferred her silent companionship to the vapid conversations most of his classmates tried to involve him in. He didn't want to make her sad for much the same reason he didn't want to make any of those he at least somewhat cared about sad.

He had a heart, even if it was old and out of use due to his experiences forcing him to harden it to protect himself.

The door to the club room opened up and two girls walked in. One he instantly recognized as Rias, and the other he assumed was Akeno. Lelouch stood up and held out his hand, surprising Rias and her friend. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life Rias." He said as she shook his hand. "Koneko told me quite a bit, but I want to know more before I decide to join your Peerage." He smirked hollowly. "I'm sure you can understand." He returned his hand to his side and flexed his fingers, she had a good grip. He sat back down on the couch, leaning back into the comfortable cushion.

"Very well, Lelouch." Rias stated before making her way to the curtain separating the shower from the main room. "Akeno can handle most of your questions as she is my Queen. She's been with me for a long time." She removed her clothing smoothly, slightly surprised to not hear a gasp from Lelouch, before stepping in the shower and closing the curtain.

Lelouch blinked in surprise at seeing Rias strip so casually before looking at Akeno with wide eyes. "Does she do that often?" The last person he'd seen with such little regard for clothing had been C.C. and that had been after centuries of being an immortal had permanently dulled her sense of shame.

Akeno giggled at his surprise. "Not too often, at least around newer members, but Rias is a nudist." She said. "She has very little care about whether she's seen naked or not. In fact, she prefers going without clothes sometimes, says it's more relaxing." Akeno found Lelouch's somewhat gaping mouth amusing. "I assume you have many more questions than just that."

Lelouch closed his eyes. Looked like this group was going to be far more interesting than he had thought, quirks upon quirks it seemed. "Why did Rias bring me back to life?" Koneko had told him Kiba asked, but he assumed there was more to it than that.

Akeno walked and sat on the desktop, kicking her legs out as she replied. "Kiba asked, according to her." She sighed quietly in annoyance, second hand information was never fun. "I wasn't there so I don't know the conversation, but apparently, he said you didn't deserve to die." She gave her handsome classmate a hooded look. "From what I heard he was rather adamant that you deserved another chance at life. Maybe there's a little thing going on between the two of you?"

Lelouch choked in surprise at the insinuation, and he wasn't the only one. Koneko's face went red as she coughed down the chocolate. He turned to her and pat her on the back, helping it go down. "Not funny, Akeno." Koneko rasped out. "Ruined my last piece of chocolate." The petite girl gave the older girl quite the glare and Lelouch patted her on the shoulder.

"I'll get you some more later okay, I still have questions." Lelouch doubted Koneko could do the same thing to Akeno as she had done to the one fool he had seen make her mad, but he wanted answers to his questions first. "To answer your question," he turned to Akeno before responding, "no, Kiba and I are barely acquaintances. The closest we've ever come is hiding from a couple girls in the school library at the same time when they started to become too much for him." Lelouch still thought it wasn't Kiba's brightest idea egging them on by treating them like he did. Then again, Lelouch's strategy of ignoring them and hoping they went away or just flat out leaving their presence whenever possible didn't seem to work either.

Lelouch shrugged before moving on to his next question. "What Piece did Rias use on me and what are the attributes it granted me?" He had been curious ever since Koneko had shown him her strength and mentioned the different Pieces and the fact that they had differing attributes. It had been a long time since he played his favorite game and he was intrigued.

"Rias told me she used her second Knight Piece on you." Akeno answered, standing up from her position on the desk and wandering about the room. "As for your attributes, aside from the enhanced strength of a Devil, your main attribute will be a speed increase." She half-turned to Lelouch to wrap up her explanation. "However your main weakness will be low defense and damage to your mobility, your legs."

Lelouch pondered the irony of the fact that he would be resurrected as a Knight and a Devil, he probably found it funnier than he should have, but be managed to suppress his amusement. "I don't have any more questions right now, thank you for clearing everything up." He thanked her as he fell silent, watching as Koneko moved behind the desk and pulled out another stash of chocolate. When she sat back down on the couch next to him, she answered his questioning look with, "Emergency stash." before taking a bite of the sugary treat. She held out a chocolate piece on a toothpick for him and asked, "Want some?"

Lelouch leaned forward and took a small bite, leaving the rest for Koneko. It was pretty good. "Thanks, it's tasty." He said after swallowing the treat. "Still, I need to eat some real food later, I can't subsist off of only sweets like you somehow can." He joked before falling silent and leaning back into the couch to relax. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, a lot had happened in the past day or so.

After a few minutes of silence, a few minutes Lelouch was grateful for, the door opened once again.

"Wait, I know those two don't I?" The voice of Issei Hyoudou sounded from the entrance, disturbing Lelouch's meditation.

"I don't know, do you?" The voice of Kiba joined in, causing Lelouch to open his eyes as he looked to the door and saw the two walk into the room.

' _Great, just great_.' Lelouch mentally groaned. He could deduce by Issei's presence here that _he_ must have been the other person Rias had needed to heal the previous night. He did _not_ see that one coming.

This may not end as well as he had begun to hope.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **I did not expect to write a story like this at all, but my friends got me hooked onto the plot of Highschool DxD and I just couldn't stop my mind from coming up with a scenario where Lelouch, after his 'death', ends up in that world without knowing why and ends up becoming Rias' second Knight.**

 **The fact that Zero was the quintessential "Knight of Justice" in Code Geass and Lelouch was the Demon Emperor is just makes it too much fun to consider "What if Lelouch, and therefore the first Zero, became a literal Devil Knight?"**

 **My mind is way too creative like that. Anyway, if you like this feel free to check out my normal Code Geass story. It's not a crossover with anything except other Code Geass materials and it is definitely my main story, but I think this one may become secondary for me since I was recently inspired to write it.**

 **This story is a crossover with Code Geass canon and Highschool DxD, not my Code Geass story, just to be clear.**

 **Anyway, I didn't intend for this story to exist, yet here it is.**

 **Maybe it's a Christmas miracle that I've essentially written three chapters (two for this my main story and one for this one) in essentially one week.**

 **Merry Christmas everyone, hope you check out my other story if you enjoy this one.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	2. Chapter 2: Contracts

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Contracts**

* * *

Lelouch stared at Issei with a look of mild exasperation before closing his eyes and sighing through his nose quietly. ' _Be polite Lelouch, it's easier to learn without antagonizing your allies_.' His eye twitched slightly at the thought of that pervert being his ally though. The former Emperor did not like how the boy or his friends acted, but he could at least _try_ to tolerate it for the sake of working cohesively. He had known people who were far worse individuals than Issei during their lives, his parents for one example, so he could deal with Issei.

Though if the boy kept glaring at him maybe he'd test out his new Devil speed avoiding the boy's attacks. He hoped it wasn't as abysmal as his human speed had been.

"Why are you glaring at me?" It was probably best to get any antagonism out of the way. "Did I do something to bother you?" He kept his position on the couch, lazing back into it comfortably.

"Your face offends me." Issei kept glaring. Seriously, how was he supposed to keep up if _both_ of Kuoh's "Princes" were in the same club?! Pretty boys always pissed Issei off and now he'd have to deal with _two_ of them, it just wasn't fair!

' _This is stupid_.' Lelouch grumbled mentally, ignoring both Issei and Akeno as she tried to defuse the tension by talking with him. It didn't even take two seconds for the boy's eyes to drop to her breasts. Lelouch hoped desperately there would be a way for him to develop enough to the point he could strike out on his own, he didn't think he could deal with Issei as he was now.

"Calm down Issei," the voice of Rias sounded from the shower as she left. "Lelouch was recently attacked by a Fallen Angel as well, I saved him only a little while after I saved you." She flicked her hair back after she finished drying it and Lelouch momentarily admired the practice it must have taken her to do that so easily with her long hair. "The two of you have more in common right now than you did before, please try to get along." She looked at Lelouch and he took the hint. Fine, he could play the part of the bigger man.

"Hey, nice to meet you I guess." Lelouch held out his hand after standing from the couch and walking in front of his classmate. "Let's try to get along, for Rias' sake if nothing else." He didn't care much, but he figured he should try to repay the debt he had incurred a little bit by not needlessly making things difficult on his new club President.

"For the President, then." Issei agreed and shook his hand.

"Thank you, boys. Now that Issei's here everyone's arrived so it's time to fully induct you two into the Occult Research Club." Rias moved to stand at the head of the table, framed rather hauntingly by the candlelight and impressing Lelouch with her sense of aesthetics. Lelouch sat back down next to Koneko, with Issei sitting next to him on his right to try and work on this whole "getting along" thing while Kiba and Akeno sat on the opposite couch. "As you might've guessed, this club is a front so that my Peerage can meet without issue." She began her explanation. "It's supposed to look like some kind of hobby so that we can essentially hide in plain sight."

Lelouch considered her argument and remained silent when Issei asked a question, deciding he had asked enough questions for the moment. He was willing to let the other boy have the chance to clear up anything he wanted to know.

"Then what exactly is this club supposed to do?" Issei asked, confused at the fact that the ORC wasn't a real club like the others.

"To be completely honest Issei, you, me, and Lelouch aren't the only Devils here." Issei reacted with surprise at that statement. "Does that mean everyone here is a Devil?!" Lelouch simply maintained his silence, curious how Rias would handle herself in this situation. Issei was clearly having a hard time handling all of this, but Lelouch had some faith in her adaptability.

"The person who attacked you yesterday, as well as the person who attacked Lelouch, were what are known as Fallen Angels." She explained. "Some people think we're the same, but we most definitely are not." Seeing Issei's confused look she elaborated. "Fallen Angels still seek to serve God even though they have been cast out of Heaven and into the Underworld, though you'd probably call it Hell. The confusion between the two species is understandable because Fallen Angels and Devils walk this world together. In order to please God they seek to wipe out Devilkind and earn His praise as well as claim Hell for themselves. There are also the typical Angels who are obviously sent down by God to slay Devils in His name."

Lelouch pondered Rias' explanation, twitching slightly every time God was mentioned by name as it caused a splitting headache to form in his mind. There was a pattern here, he realized with a cringe, and he didn't like it one bit. "So Devils have to defend themselves on two fronts then, is that it?" Lelouch asked, trying to suppress the pain inside his head. His voice was more raspy than normal as the headaches began to dissipate, but he'd make it a point to avoid referencing Him directly any time soon.

"Correct." Rias answered with a small smile, nodding at Lelouch. "Though we are currently in the middle of an uneasy truce so conflict occurs mostly based on personal grievances and less full scale battle." Rias held up her right hand and a red light with an arcane symbol flared on the back of her hand, causing a chain reaction where it appeared on the back of everyone else's. "This is the sigil of the Gremory Family, a high-ranking Devil Family, as long as you have this you are under my family's protection." She let the symbol fade and returned her hand where it was before. "As long as you have this, you will be safe from those Angels and Fallen Angels who respect the uneasy peace we have right now."

Lelouch smiled thinly at that statement as he analyzed the symbol and the situation based on Rias' statements. ' _A three-way cold war, great_.' How nostalgic for him. It was like the standoff between the Britannian Empire, the Chinese Federation and Europia United all over again, only with supernatural nations instead of world superpowers. It looked like he would be a member of Rias' Peerage for a while until he could build enough influence on his own to protect himself and those who joined him from the other… _factions_ as it were.

Issei had a poleaxed expression on his face, drawing Rias' attention. "You okay?" The President asked, noticing her Pawn's confusion. "You look a little confused." Lelouch turned and noticed the boy practically radiating confusion.

When Issei spoke, he confirmed his belief that his classmate was not taking this sort of thing as well as he had. Though that was hardly a fair comparison. He'd had so much happen to him before he arrived in this world not even the existence of Devils, Angels, or Fallen Angels could phase him for more than a few hours. As far as he was concerned he had been overdue for a life-altering event the past few months, despite being caught flat-footed he recovered his wits and had begun to try to understand his new situation. Issei didn't have the same experiences to fall back on, hence the confusion.

"That's because I am." Issei agreed. "I'm kind of overwhelmed by all of this, it's really heavy stuff." He had never expected something like a secret society of the supernatural existing right under everyone's noses.

Rias closed her eyes and hmphed softly. "Remember Yuuma Amano?" She asked, causing Issei to gasp in shock. Lelouch turned to look at the boy out of the corner of his eye, seeing him sit ramrod straight. That name did not bring back positive memories for the boy.

"Of course, you do," Rias smirked. "How could you forget? The two of you dated for a little bit didn't you." Lelouch blinked in shock, that boy had gotten a date despite his perversions? Issei's discomfort was visible and he made it clear he was disturbed by something, but Lelouch wasn't sure what was going on between him and Rias. When the boy stood up, Rias tossed a picture onto the table, the image glinting in the candlelight. When Issei saw it, he gasped and Rias said, "It wasn't a dream Issei, she was real." A statement that confused Lelouch.

He had a feeling he was missing some context here. Thankfully, Rias began to clear some things up, though Issei seemed to be reacting worse than a few seconds ago. He ignored the byplay as Rias teased him expressing her enjoyment of that picture and read between the lines as her explanation continued. When Rias declared her a Fallen Angel, a being who was the same as the one who had attacked Issei the other day and himself the previous night, he realized something. ' _She pretended to like him so she could kill him_.' He deduced with a sense of disgust. He felt some sympathy for Issei having to go through something like that. He may have been a pervert, but that kind of emotional manipulation angered the former Emperor.

When Rias started to discuss the manipulation of memory, Lelouch turned and glared at her. "What do you mean you manipulate people's memories?" He asked coldly. He had some bad experience with that sort of thing in the past and was not eager to find out if the person who he had to work for was able and willing to do such a thing.

Rias blinked at Lelouch, surprised by such a reaction coming from the normally calm boy she knew in passing. "We, Devils that is, manipulate human memory to hide our existence and to protect them in general from the supernatural. Fallen Angels can do the same thing which is why your friends didn't remember Yuuma." She turned back to Issei. "For example, your parents Issei, I did a little memory manipulation on them so that they wouldn't give you trouble after finding me naked in your bed." Lelouch ignored that, as well as Issei's blush, and considered her justification.

He decided as long as they didn't touch personal memories like his _Father_ had done, he wouldn't have any objections towards using memory manipulation to hide themselves and the supernatural. It was done to protect people, and he had already done something similar when he erased his existence from Shirley's mind. It made logical sense, even if it left a bad taste in his mouth to think of using that power.

"After a Fallen Angel accomplishes their goal, they erase all memories and records of their existence from anyone around the target." Rias declared, knowing this was going to end up a tough subject for Issei. But it was necessary.

Lelouch closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he leaned back into the couch. He was starting to get irritated at the lack of context he had for at least half of this conversation, though Issei seemed to know what she was talking about as he murmured, "Goal? What goal?"

When Rias started to talk about how it had been Yuuma's goal to kill him if she discovered something dangerous about Issei and talked about how he had been killed, along with Issei's reaction about something Yuuma had said as he was dying, Lelouch had enough. He snapped his fingers, drawing the pair's attention to him. "Excuse me? A little context couldn't hurt here." He said dryly. "Not all of us have been made aware of this incident you keep referring to." Rias looked sheepish while Kiba let out a sigh of relief for some reason and Akeno giggled.

"Thank you Lelouch." The blond who was responsible for saving his life said. "Rias, you sometimes forget not everyone has the same information you do and leave the rest of us in the dark." He turned to the President of the ORC. "Please explain just what the hell you two are talking about?" Kiba had seen Rias go off like this before, but he never liked interrupting her to ask about what was going on, usually doing it after she was done talking. It was nice to have Lelouch cut through it with no tact whatsoever. He could see why the other boy and Koneko were somewhat friends.

Neither of them had much tact.

Rias shifted slightly on her desk. "Right, sorry." She apologized sheepishly. "Issei, when Yuuma killed you do you remember what she said?" She'd try to make sure she didn't exclude everyone like that again.

"She mentioned something about God and something sacred." He tried to recall more, but he had been a little more preoccupied with the spear in his gut. "I don't remember much more than that."

Lelouch twitched again at the mention of Him but ignored it before turning to Rias as she declared Issei had something called a "Sacred Gear". Whatever that was, it sounded important and, thankfully, Issei asked the same question Lelouch wanted to know. "What the hell is that?" Issei asked exasperatedly.

Though it wasn't Rias who answered, it was Akeno. "It's basically a unique power that manifests in a rare few throughout history. The only ones I know of for sure who have had one are historical figures which makes you kind of a big deal." She teased with a grin.

Lelouch snorted softly, opening his eyes to look at everyone seriously. "Don't get his ego any bigger than it already is. There were probably plenty of people who held Sacred Gears that got lost to history." He shook his head, ignoring the dejected look Issei shot him. "Don't judge someone's potential based on something that some historical figures may have had because the reason those people went down in history likely has just as much to do with who they were as an individual as their powers." He looked directly at the boy who could potentially be something great if he managed to harness his powers. "Remember that it is not the power that makes someone worth remembering in history, it is who they are."

"Well said Lelouch." Rias spoke before moving back to the discussion. "Sacred Gears have sometimes driven their users mad in the past, causing their wielders to become a threat to the Underworld. As such, you'll need to be careful as you train with your powers." Rias considered something. "Hold up your left hand Issei." She requested, watching as her Pawn did as she asked. "Close your eyes and concentrate on the part of your body you feel is the strongest and focus hard on that strength."

The poor choice of wording caused Lelouch to place his palm in his face in exasperation as Issei took that statement further than he was sure Rias intended. Or maybe she had intended for it to be taken the way the boy heard it and was messing with him. Issei started to get distracted despite Rias' efforts to get him to focus and Lelouch just leaned back further into the couch, wishing it could swallow him whole.

He felt he was either going to snap and attempt to smack some sense into Issei or die of embarrassment at the fact that this boy was one of his allies and would be for the foreseeable future. Either option felt like it was going to happen soon.

Issei collapsed, proclaiming himself weak which Rias rebutted with yet another poor choice of words. "You're not weak, it's just a little hard right now." She said, making Lelouch decide to give up on even _pretending_ she wasn't screwing with Issei. He didn't care anymore. There was one bright side if this would end up becoming a common theme. At least he wouldn't be getting bored anytime soon.

' _It's like Milly only worse_.' Lelouch thought to himself with a sense of doom pervading his mind. ' _If the two of them_ ever _met_...' He shuddered at the thought and decided that line of thinking was not worth following.

It was _far_ too dangerous.

Issei started ranting about his death and wondering how he was still alive. Lelouch tuned him out except for that last part. He was curious as well since he doubted Rias could have arrived at his house fast enough to resurrect him, he assumed that it only worked on those recently dead since it would be ridiculously unfair if someone could resurrect more prominent historical figures as members of their Peerage.

"Remember this?" Rias asked as she held up a copy of the flyer Lelouch remembered pocketing on his way home the previous day. He blinked and connected the dots as she explained just what that flyer was. "Devils can be summoned through these flyers to fulfill Pacts with humans. You summoned me with your thoughts through this flyer." And with a dramatic flair that brought back memories for Lelouch she declared, "With that you were revived and reborn as an honored member of the House of Rias Gremory, daughter of the great and powerful Devil the _Duke_ of Gremory." Her wings flared from behind her back and Lelouch admired her sense of showmanship.

The flyer he had gotten the previous day must have been used to bring Rias to his house so she could save him, Lelouch guessed. "Lelouch," Rias turned to him and he looked her in the eye. "I did the same for you and will gladly welcome you into my household." Her eyes were sharp, but hopeful. He didn't know what would happen if he declined the offer, but he didn't think it would be a good idea since he was only recently made a Devil to potentially anger someone with a high-ranking family in the Underworld.

The Gremory Family seemed like it would be a better ally than enemy and Rias, from what little he knew of her, seemed to be a decent individual. He could follow her for now. "I accept your generous offer graciously, Daughter of Gremory." He stated formally, bowing slightly from his seat, maintaining his stare with her. He wanted to make it clear that, while he would serve as her Knight, he would maintain his own independence on some level. "Thank you for accepting me into your Peerage." He said, tasting the unfamiliar term and not necessarily minding it. He leaned back, letting the rest of the conversation play out.

His response had drawn interested looks from Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba after they noticed the formal phrasing his answer had used, but he ignored them. Their curiosity may be sated in the future, but for now he was going to keep his past secret from them until he knew they could be trusted with such information.

"With this, the two of you are now my Devil servants." Rias said, making Lelouch feel a twinge of irritation even if it was true. He didn't like being anyone's servant. Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko all stood up beside Rias and revealed their own wings to match. Lelouch rose from his comfortable position to try and unleash his own. He closed his eyes, feeling around for a sense of power inside his being and, when he found a small well of power, sent it to his back causing a pair of dark wings to shoot out. Issei's expanded quickly as well while Lelouch analyzed the sensations he felt. ' _How… interesting_." Lelouch mused as he felt his wings twitch according to his mind's commands. It was like he suddenly had a pair of new limbs, yet it also felt as though he'd had them all his life. He doubted he could fly just yet, but moving them on command didn't seem to be much of an issue. "We're glad to have you here, welcome Issei, Lelouch." Rias finished their induction.

"Isn't this exciting? You're both one of us now!" Akeno spoke gleefully. Something about her made Lelouch feel a little wary, he didn't know why. Maybe it was the sense she was enjoying Issei's discomfort a little too much.

Rias took over the conversation again and began to explain just what Devils did in this world. "The duties of a Devil can vary," she began, "but the way it usually works is Devils grant power to humans for a price we both agree on." She chuckled before explaining, "It used to be that people would draw magic circles to summon us and we'd claim their souls, but that has fallen out of practice over the past few centuries due to the unnecessary complexity so now we simply take power from the fulfillment of a Pact." She tossed her hands up somewhat dismissively. "Nowadays we make house calls, personal deliveries, that sort of thing." Akeno walked behind the desk and pulled out a box filled with flyers. Rias gestured to it and said, "Normally we'd have a Messenger Demon deliver these but I think it'll be beneficial for you two to learn just what goes into this job."

Lelouch walked over and, after analyzing the flyers for a few moments, grabbed a few small handfuls to place into his jacket pockets. Issei on the other hand started scooping them into his backpack and Rias whispered something into his ear that, thanks to his heightened senses, Lelouch heard loud and clear. "If you do well enough you could even end up having some Devil servants of your own." Issei's face went red and Lelouch knew that the perverted boy suddenly gained a lot of motivation.

Lelouch considered the implication of that statement and decided that it wouldn't hurt to be able to establish his own powerbase eventually. It would be useful to have allies that were loyal to him after he saved their lives. He decided that he'd try to set up his own Peerage eventually, but he doubted it was as easy as Rias made it out to be to motivate Issei.

He ignored the byplay going on as Rias teased Issei regarding what was and wasn't allowed with servants and walked to the door ignoring the cry of "I'm going to be the Harem King!" and left the club building.

"This is going to be exhausting." He murmured to himself as he walked off, feeling stronger as the sun began to finish its descent over the horizon. "Motivation can come from strange places." The voice of Koneko sounded from behind him, making Lelouch jump slightly as he turned and saw the petite girl following him. He returned his attention to the path he was walking to avoid any obstacles and replied, "True, but I wish he could be less ridiculous." He looked at the girl from the corner of his eye as she remained by his side. "Why are you following me?" Koneko looked up at him and blinked. "To get away from him." She deadpanned causing Lelouch so chuckle dryly.

That was as good excuse as any he supposed. She held up a strange sphere, drawing his attention. "You'll need this to deliver flyers to those who'll need some help." She explained seeing his questioning gaze. "It's like a GPS, letting you know where to drop off the flyers." Lelouch took the offered device and held it in front of him, watching as the red screen began to develop symbols directing him where to go. "Thanks Koneko, this will make it easier." He expressed his gratitude for her help.

With a petite, white-haired shadow following him, Lelouch began his first deliveries as a Devil. Handing out flyers seemed mundane for supernatural creatures, but he figured he'd have to start at the bottom before working his way up.

Lelouch smirked, it was a good thing he liked challenges.

* * *

Lelouch returned to the club room alone, Koneko having had to leave in order to handle a Contract of her own about halfway through his deliveries. He had yet to be called in to fulfill one, but decided to report in case he had to do anything else. When he arrived, he heard huffing from behind him and turned around to see Issei running up the stairs. "Are you kidding me?" The boy rasped as he caught his breath. "I used my bike! How did you finish before I did?" The boy seemed jealous.

"I took less flyers than you so I managed to walk to my destinations faster since I had fewer places to go." He replied, causing the boy's jealousy to fade as a grin spread across his face.

"Ha!" Issei declared triumphantly as he pointed at Lelouch. "That means I delivered more flyers than you!"

"Caught that did you." Lelouch murmured as the pair walked into the club room. Lelouch lived by the phrase "work smarter, not harder", as every gym teacher he'd ever had learned to their disappointment, so he figured that, while he'd have delivered less flyers overall, he'd have an easier time completing Contracts when he could devote more time to each request. "All done with the deliveries President." Lelouch said as they walked in, Issei almost immediately drooling at the sight of Rias in her towel. The darker haired boy merely sighed and asked, "Anything else you need us to do?" Trying to suppress a twitch in his eye.

Akeno clearly was right when she mentioned Rias' proclivities towards showing off her form. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her beauty, he just wished he didn't have to face the distinct possibility of Rias being naked every time he walked into the room. He would eventually be desensitized to the whole thing he guessed, but until then he would have to deal with the awkwardness as it came along.

"Well, could one of you help out Koneko?" Rias asked as she dried her hair. "She's double booked with requests right now and I could use someone to take her extra shift. It's the last thing I need either of you to do today." Lelouch turned to his somewhat friend, who was sucking on a popsicle, and decided to accept on her behalf. But as he opened his mouth Issei jumped the gun and took it before he could. "Sure thing Madame President!" He shouted eagerly.

Koneko looked at the pair and bowed slightly before saying, "That's super rad. Thanks." With her typical dry tone, it didn't sound very thankful, but Lelouch thought he might have detected a hint of relief mixed with amusement in her tone. He wondered what made her feel that way about this particular summon request.

"I'll wait for the next one then." Lelouch acquiesced without issue. He could wait for now.

"Great, I'll have Akeno prepare the Circle." Rias said as she turned back to get dressed behind her curtain. Once she was finished she directed Akeno to a large empty space in the clubroom and ordered, "Prepare to send Issei to Koneko's second request, Akeno." She stood back slightly and Lelouch watched curiously as Akeno stood in the center of the large space.

Suddenly, a large, crimson magic circle formed under her feet. Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise. ' _So, that's what a magic circle looks like_.' He thought as he witnessed true magic for the first time. ' _It's beautiful_.' He was mesmerized by the gorgeous color and the power he could sense flowing around the circle. ' _I want to learn magic_.' Lelouch admitted to himself.

He wanted to learn how to harness the power he could feel inside his being. He _finally_ had power again, no matter how little the amount, and he wanted to learn as much as he could about it. He had gone far with only his mind and his Geass back in his world, he had no idea how far he could go with the potential power he could gain from using magic in this one. But he wanted to find out.

Issei was filled with a similar sense of awe as Rias answered their unspoken question. "That's called a Transportation Circle," she explained. She directed Issei to hold out his left hand and imprinted the sigil of her family onto his left palm. "This is called a Seal, it will help me keep track of your performance during your requests. When you get to the client's location, just make sure to make them aware of the cost of their request and make sure they select the correct areas of the screen so that you can officially have the Pact fulfilled." She reminded him of the rules. Devils typically used a small tablet-like device that bore similarities to a Smartphone, only it was used to store the database for the usual kinds of wishes humans would request as well as their costs. There was also a search bar in order to find the closest equivalent if the specific wish was difficult to find.

Lelouch did find it interesting that the fulfillment of a Contract could grant a Devil power, but supposed that may have been the origin of the phrase "a deal with the Devil" in this world. They also gained power from the price paid by the human, so Devils got a little extra boost after every Contract. As he mused curiously about the nature of Contracts, something went wrong when the Transportation Circle activated and Issei remained.

"The fuck?!" Issei exclaimed in confusion. Lelouch eyed Rias as she tried to absorb the fact that Issei apparently couldn't use the Transportation Circle to fulfill requests. She had her head in her hand with the other crossed under her bust, ignoring her Queen's "whoopsie" and Kiba's nervous chuckle, Rias responded well. "No, it's okay." She reassured Issei, though he was still confused. "Looks like you can't make the jump for some reason," she sounded slightly exasperated. "But there's another way." Lelouch quickly caught on and had to resist his own chuckle. "It's mundane but I'm sure you can use your bike." Rias said to Issei's horror. "Unless Lelouch wants to give it a shot." She looked at her new Knight curiously.

Lelouch thought about it and was about to go for it, figuring if not why not, before Koneko tugged his sleeve slightly and shook her head quickly before composing herself faster than he could even react. He turned his attention to Rias and decided against it. "Issei said he'd do it," he answered. "I don't think it's right for me to take that from him." Rias shrugged and sent Issei on his way. He was curious why Koneko had warned him against accepting, but figured he'd take her at her word.

"Well, there you go, better get started on your trip Issei if you want to be able to sleep tonight." She said, concealing a laugh at her Pawn's predicament.

Issei stomped out in a rage, causing Lelouch to chuckle slightly as he found his fellow Devil's predicament somewhat amusing. He was curious as to why it didn't seem to work though. He doubted Akeno screwed up the Transportation Circle, it sounded like a basic spell and he had a feeling she was far stronger than she let on with her kindly demeanor.

"Would you like me to teleport you home?" Akeno asked him, causing him to remember something.

"Shit." He spoke as he realized his predicament. Lelouch hung his head slightly as he realized he had forgotten to find a place to stay. "My home was destroyed by the Fallen Angel." Lelouch explained at Akeno's look. "I don't have a place to stay tonight." Damn it, he knew he had forgotten something when he was out delivering the flyers.

"Oh no, you poor thing." Akeno gushed as she brought him in for a hug. "Are your parents okay?" She asked carefully, causing Lelouch to snort at the absurdity of that statement.

' _Considering I killed them in my world and they're dead in this one I don't think so_.' But as he couldn't very well say that out loud he replied with, "I live alone, my parents died when I was nine." He shrugged, dismissing Akeno's sympathy. "I'll find something, maybe I can rent a hotel room for tonight." That would require he either go to one of the seedier places or get exceedingly lucky considering a majority would be closed at this time of night.

"No, that won't do." Rias responded abruptly. "I won't let my Knight remain homeless like some vagabond." She declared, causing Lelouch to blink. He was touched by her kindness, especially as he had only known her in passing before tonight.

"You can stay with me." Koneko responded quietly, shocking the four other occupants of the room. She looked away from Lelouch's stare. "I healed you and you've already been inside my home, you might as well stay with me until you find a new place." She answered the four curious glances she got. Her decision had nothing to do with the fact that she would be able to enjoy Lelouch's cooking and have him around to bake sweets on demand.

Nope, she was just being a good friend. And she would stand by that story to the grave.

"You don't have to do that Koneko, I can take him in no problem." Kiba offered, not wanting to make the girl feel as though she was the only one who could take in their newest ally.

"Now, now Kiba." Rias interjected. "Koneko offered first, I see no reason to deny it unless she gets uncomfortable having Lelouch as her guest." She turned her attention to her Knight. "You won't bother her will you, Lelouch?" She asked with a semi-playful glare.

"Of course not." He answered honestly. "I'm not Issei." Now that dig might've been a bit cruel, but he had a feeling that would be easily the best argument he could make in his favor at this point considering he was going to be living with a girl. Still, Koneko's generosity was outdoing his expectations by far today, he mused as he looked at the girl whose golden eyes still wouldn't meet his own. "Thank you Koneko, I appreciate this." He thanked her sincerely.

"I'll prepare the Transportation Circle then, to send the two of you home." Akeno said as she once again flared her energy to form the magic circle. "Step inside and before you know it you'll be in Koneko's place." Akeno said with a grin.

Just before the pair disappeared in a flash of red light she shouted, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Her giggle echoed in the room before they were out of earshot.

A faint, "Dammit Akeno!" could be heard from Lelouch before the light faded away leaving just Rias alongside her Queen and first Knight.

* * *

Lelouch yelled at Akeno for her little prank before they disappeared and reappeared in Koneko's living room. He groaned slightly as he rose up from the floor, he didn't take transportation magic very well the first time around it seemed. He rubbed his back and noticed Koneko pulling off some couch cushions with some effort. "Help me." She requested as she got rid of the last cushion and grabbed a small handle that had been concealed by the cushions.

Lelouch moved over and helped her pull out the bed from the couch, making sure to keep a hold of it well enough so neither of them crushed their toes on the metal frame. The pair worked together to straighten out the sheet over it and Lelouch asked, "I'm guessing this came with the couch?" He asked sarcastically as he rubbed out any wrinkles he noticed while watching Koneko grab two pillows and a blanket from a closet. She merely nodded, trying and failing to suppress a yawn.

"Still tired from healing." She said shortly. She tossed the two pillows at the head of the bed and threw up the blanket, Lelouch grabbing the other end, straightening it out together to finish making the bed. "You can sleep here, bathroom's upstairs next to my room." She pointed to the stairs before gesturing behind the couch. "That's the kitchen behind the living room." She finished the verbal tour, turning to go to her own room to get some sleep.

"Thank you for this Koneko." Lelouch said before she could leave head upstairs. "I am truly grateful for your generosity. I want you to know that." He never expected this level of kindness from anyone before.

"It's no problem." Koneko answered before bidding him goodnight and going to her own room. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to getting her energy back after having had to heal Lelouch for so long along with the requests she'd had to fulfill. She may not have shown it, but she was grateful to Issei for taking the job for her, not that she'd ever let the pervert know that.

Lelouch removed his jacket, keeping his shirt and jeans on as he got into the pullout bed to try and get a good night's sleep. He decided he'd try and get some underwear and other clothing soon so that he didn't end up wearing the same clothing every day. As he lay back, Lelouch closed his eyes and focused on the small well of energy he sensed when he was letting out his wings.

He meditated, focusing on that small pool of energy until he fell asleep, determined to master it and use his new powers, whatever they may become, to their fullest potential.

* * *

 **And so ends Chapter 2. I thought it was interesting how Devil Pacts were similar to Contracts, so I decided to reflect that similarity in how Lelouch feels regarding the grunt level work for Low-Class Devils. He will call them Contracts from his perspective, while other Devils will call them Pacts. Also, he doesn't necessarily like them, but he will do them if necessary in order to begin forging his own path to becoming a strong Devil.**

 **He doesn't plan to stay Rias' Knight for the rest of his tenure as a Devil after all. He will eventually develop to the point that he gets promoted, but it won't be for a while. He's still new to this Devil thing after all.**

 **Lelouch is also very intrigued by magic, wanting to learn how to use it himself since it somewhat reminds him of the power he once held as a wielder of Geass.**

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2, review if you did. Flames will be ignored and constructive criticism will be appreciated.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	3. Chapter 3: Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Dreams**

* * *

In the depths of a void with a landscape similar to that of a kaleidoscope, Lelouch opened his eyes. His eyes flickered around, confused at his surroundings and blinked as he realized he could not move his body at all. Suddenly a voice rang out, echoing powerfully throughout the void, yet somehow muffled. As though it were incomplete.

" **-u'v- f-n-ll- -w-k-n-d**." A distant roar shook the very air. " **D- n-t f-rg-t y-r p-w-r, y-ng D-m-n -mp-r-r**." The voice rang out once again, once again muffled. With another roar that shook the young man to his core, Lelouch could stand no more of this strange world.

* * *

The former Emperor turned Devil woke with a strangled gasp, a strange shadow of a memory from his dream lingering in his mind before vanishing, leaving only a vague unease and a sense that he had forgotten something important.

He looked out the window and decided that, since the sun was rising, he might as well do the same. He made his way to Koneko's kitchen, deciding to get a feel for it and maybe make her a nice breakfast as thanks for letting him stay in her home. After a little bit of exploring, Lelouch knew almost everything he needed to know about the kitchen.

An hour or so later, Lelouch hummed as he gracefully made his way through the kitchen the morning after Koneko had invited him into her home. There wasn't much in the kitchen, as he'd somewhat expected, but one of the few things that wasn't candy had been some pancake mix so he decided to make some plain pancakes, not knowing whether she liked chocolate chips, apples, other fruit, or something else, and slather them generously with syrup to sate her sweet tooth. It had taken him a little while to whip some of the mix up since he didn't know where she had kept her cooking utensils, but he was flowing smoothly throughout the kitchen after he hit his stride.

He transitioned from whipping the mix together to pouring it over a pan on the stove to flipping another set of pancakes on a different pan with the spatula to pulling out the syrup bottle from the microwave. And he did it all without spilling a single drop of the mix or syrup. He made roughly the same amount he would have made for himself and Nunnally what felt like a lifetime ago, but made sure to include at least an extra few in order to account for Koneko's sweet tooth.

Koneko was having a nice dream, she was sitting on a colorful throne made of hard candy being fed random bits of sweets whenever she wished for something sugary to appear in her mouth. Her nose twitched in her sleep, causing her to groan as she woke up. The Nekoshou sat up and concealed her inhuman features as she stood up to get dressed in her uniform for school. As she smoothed out her skirt, she realized that the heavenly scent that had awakened her had not come from her dream. She walked quietly down the stairs, as though she were afraid if she was too fast the beautiful sugary smell would leave her forever.

The petite Devil noticed the pullout bed had been made and the couch cushions were carefully organized at the foot of the bed, causing her to recall her houseguest. She heard sounds coming from the kitchen, something like metal beating on plastic, and made her way to her kitchen. She stared in slight awe as she watched someone who clearly knew their way around a kitchen.

Her nose twitched again as she smelled what her guest was cooking. Closing her eyes, she sniffed before swallowing thickly as her mouth watered. She nearly drooled as she recognized the scent as the one that woke her up. "Pancakes?" She murmured quietly, drawing Lelouch's attention. Pancakes had never made her mouth water like this before.

"Good morning Koneko." Lelouch said after noticing her state. She was dressed but she was still somewhat sleepy he analyzed, otherwise there was no way she would have come down with her hair all over the place. "You look like a kitten slept on your head last night, I take it you slept well?" He joked, returning his attention to the stove as he flipped another couple pancakes, setting down the mixing bowl he had been using in the sink. He'd wash it later along with the cups he'd used to pour the mix on the pans. "Breakfast will be ready soon, what do you want to drink?" He asked, ignoring her grumbled reply to his earlier question.

Koneko made her way to the cupboard that housed her cups, still somewhat annoyed she couldn't reach the higher shelves forcing her to pile everything on the lowest one. Ignoring the twitch of suspicion at Lelouch's kitten comment, as well as suppressing the mild annoyance at the joke, she mumbled "Uh-huh, good morning." She made her way to the fridge after pulling out two cups from her cupboard, replying to Lelouch's question. "You're making breakfast, let me handle the drinks." She ordered as she pulled out the milk she kept and poured it into two cups instead of one like normal. "I only have milk, sorry." It looked like she'd need to get more since he used up quite a bit when making her pancakes.

"It's fine." Lelouch chuckled. "I asked mainly because I wasn't sure if you had orange juice or something else hidden way in the back of the fridge. I didn't want to assume." He turned the stove off and lifted up one of the two plates he'd taken out before he started cooking. "How many pancakes do you want?" He asked, preparing to pick them up with the spatula.

Koneko's stomach almost roared before she answered meekly, "Five, please."

Lelouch blinked in surprise. ' _Well, I made eight_.' He supposed he could make do with three. ' _Good thing I made a couple extra_.' He piled them up on her plate, setting it down and getting her silverware before setting himself up across her small table. "I wasn't sure if you liked fruit, chocolate chips, or something else so I made them plain." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind." He chuckled, missing Koneko's shocked look as she realized he had told the truth.

Koneko stared at her pile of pancakes, smothered with syrup, holding her knife and fork like they were weapons of war as she prepared to devour the best smelling pancakes she ever had in front of her, in shock. ' _They're…_ plain?!' She realized with surprise. She carefully cut into the pancake with far more grace than she originally intended and took a small bite. ' _So good_!' Were she more like Rias or Akeno she would have squealed. As it was, she simply squeaked out a quick "Thank you!" as she dug in. She didn't believe it was possible plain pancakes could taste so _good_.

Lelouch cut his own breakfast, taking a small bite, as he watched Koneko dig in with gusto. He grinned slightly, "I'm glad you like them." He said, his grin not fading as he watched her devour the pancakes without spilling a single crumb on her immaculate uniform.

' _That reminds me, I need to get a replacement_.' Lelouch remembered as his grin faded, not looking forward to the conversation to replace his uniform. All five duplicates. He hung his head slightly, eating far slower than Koneko but still at a good pace.

Kuoh Academy provided five of the uniform, as well as copies of gym uniforms, so that no one had any excuse for not wearing it during the school week and he had lost all of them. The worst part was that students were on the hook for payment if the uniforms ever got damaged beyond repair and needed to be replaced. Lelouch took a sip of his milk, watching Koneko amusedly as she hit the third pancake in about five minutes. He had just finished his first.

He enjoyed the cool milk as it washed down the sweet taste of the syrup. And decided to at least try to get the school to help. He hoped he could have the school cover for the cost since he didn't have the amount necessary to purchase the uniform five times over and still have enough to find a place to live. Especially considering he also needed to get a whole new wardrobe. His funds were generous, but not that generous. Considering his place had been absolutely destroyed, he hoped that could be considered a sufficient mitigating circumstance even if the excuse he had needed to give would be one of personal mistakes to avoid references to the supernatural nature of its destruction. And he still needed to go clothes shopping later.

He had a busy day ahead of him he realized as he finished his second pancake, staring up at Koneko across from him as she stared pleadingly at the last pancake on his plate. He chewed and sipped his glass of milk, tormenting her by drawing out his answer to her unspoken question.

He was sure she was trying to burn a hole through his head the longer he gulped down the milk. Eventually he finished it, and with a sigh of satisfaction said, "Go nuts." Before he knew it the pancake on his plate vanished and the last he saw of it was the small remnants dangling past Koneko's lips, making her look like a chipmunk after she shoved the pancake in her mouth to prevent him from rescinding his offer.

He chuckled at the blank look on her face as she realized the trouble she got herself into and chewed delicately so she wouldn't choke. Lelouch stood up and picked up her glass before moving to the fridge to pour her a new glass of milk, using the last of the only remaining container. "Here, this should help wash it down." He handed her the cup sympathetically.

Koneko looked at Lelouch, appreciation flashing in her golden eyes for a second before she took the offered glass. She sipped it carefully, making sure to finish her breakfast carefully so she wouldn't waste any of the delicious meal she was just given. "Thanks." She rasped out, gulping down the last of her milk and sighing in satisfaction. "You're cooking from now on." She declared with all the seriousness of a King handing down a new law. Koneko stood up and poked him in the chest for emphasis. "Got it?" She asked, ignoring their height difference.

Screw being a good friend being the reason she took him in, she was keeping him around for his cooking for as long as she could. Her friend was by far the best cook she'd ever had. She couldn't imagine what he could do with other food if he could make plain pancakes this good.

Lelouch chuckled at the petite girl's attempt at being intimidating. It was adorable. Like a kitten growling at a wolf. "I don't mind, we'll need to go shopping for more ingredients however." He pulled up the collar of his shirt to take a quick sniff. "And clothes shopping, I can't stay in these longer than today or they'll start to stink." He didn't want to go shopping, but he didn't have much choice. Everything he owned except for his money in the bank and his wallet had been destroyed.

"We can do a little shopping before classes." Koneko was glad Lelouch wouldn't mind cooking for her. "But we'll need to head in early to make sure you get your uniform before classes start today." She rubbed her hand through her hair, feeling the knots that formed overnight. Those would be annoying to brush out.

"I already thought of that," Lelouch admitted. "We still have to get more food so we'll have to go shopping after school no matter what." He was hoping a quick little shopping spree could help him get a new set of clothes so he could at least change out of the ones he was currently wearing. He'd also need to get a new backpack. And he'd need to borrow school supplies until he could purchase more. He hadn't realized just how much small stuff he'd need to get as a result of everything he owned being destroyed. He really took that kind of thing for granted before, he began to realize. "The best I can get right now would be some spare clothes that I can check out quickly before we go to school, what do you think?" Lelouch turned to his roommate, as he began to wash the dishes.

"Good idea." Koneko agreed with Lelouch's plan, making her way back upstairs. "I'll get ready to head out." She'd be damned before going out with her hair sticking up all over the place. She had _some_ pride in her appearance after all.

"See you soon." Lelouch replied, turning back to his chore and cleaning up after the two of them with a practiced ease. It had been a while since he shared a home with another person, well another person who wasn't some kind of subordinate to him. He had lived with a bunch of people as both Zero and Emperor after all. The last time he'd lived with someone like this had been Nunnally.

He paused for a second as he wondered how she was doing as Empress. He knew she would be a great ruler, he hoped she lived up to the potential he had seen in her. As he finished up drying off the last of the dishes, he heard Koneko's voice sound off near the door. "I'm ready, get your shoes on." He walked out to see Koneko staring blankly, though he could see a hint of annoyance flashing in her golden eyes, as she tapped her foot.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He responded easily, ignoring her irritation as he tied up his new pair of black boots. He checked his pocket for his wallet before realizing it had been in the jacket he removed before heading to bed. He picked it up from the bedside, slipped it on, and turned to his impatient roommate. "I'm all set, let's go." He didn't bother zipping up, knowing any longer and Koneko would get truly annoyed. She huffed and threw open the door, causing the two of them to flinch slightly before their eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

Unfortunately for the pair of Devils, it looked like it was going to be a bright day.

* * *

Lelouch grumbled slightly as he tugged at the collar of his new Kuoh Academy uniform, "I swear, is everyone in this school a damn Devil or something?" He murmured to the President of the Student Council, Sona Sitri who went by the alias Souna Shitori while at Kuoh. "Regardless, thank you for your assistance." He said, cutting off her answer to his previous comment. He didn't care to find out just how many people had been Devils existing right under his nose for months on end. The uniform was a bit stiff, but that was simply because he had yet to break it in. Once he was used to it, it would no longer bother him.

"It's no problem." Sona replied easily. "Rias told me of your predicament so I didn't have any issue procuring a new set of uniforms for you." Sona looked at him shiftily out of the corner of her eye as he kept pace behind her. "She also told me you are staying with Koneko," She began before Lelouch cut her off.

"Yeah, Koneko was kind enough to loan me her couch while I look for a new place." He wouldn't have Sona thinking he was anyone who would take advantage of his proximity to Koneko for unsavory purposes. "I made her some breakfast this morning as thanks for letting me stay with her." He added, figuring she would appreciate the fact he wasn't taking advantage of his underclassman's generosity.

"I see." Sona turned back after searching his face for any signs of deception. It's not like she would've found any considering his talent in that area, but in this case there was nothing to be found because everything he just spoke had been the truth. "So long as Koneko has no problem with it I won't make an issue out of this either." She stopped as she had finished leading him back to his class, she wanted to ensure he didn't skip. "Tread carefully." She warned before leaving back to the Student Council President's office.

He sighed before he stepped in and prepared to be bored out of his skull once more. That was one scary girl. Still, she was a far more stable Student Council President compared to Milly and he deeply appreciated that fact. He made his way to his seat without issue, though the teacher ended up calling on him multiple times to ensure he was paying attention.

He wasn't but he could fake it well enough to the point where the teacher couldn't tell the difference.

* * *

Lelouch found himself at the ORC clubroom once again at the end of the school day a few days later. The previous weekend had served him well, as he managed to purchase a good number of clothes as well as help Koneko restock her kitchen with enough food for two people. Although he may have to end up stocking for three considering how much she could eat when she was really hungry.

He shifted comfortably on the couch on what had become his normal spot next to Koneko, feeling much better now that he finally had some damn underwear. It had _not_ been fun going commando for so long when the pair had been out shopping.

He was currently studying the strange crimson armor that appeared on Issei's left arm with the other members of Rias' Peerage, though Koneko was more focused on her pie. She was still upset he had shot down a number of sugary foods she had wanted to buy. So she wasn't talking to him. Not even the short sentences beyond yes or no when he offered her something to eat.

For some reason, it gave him a headache the more he tried to focus on the energy he could sense from Issei's gauntlet. When Issei deactivated his Sacred Gear, the headache dissipated. It felt like a similar migraine compared to whenever someone referenced Him in his presence, though the pain felt… _sharper_ for lack of a better phrase.

Apparently, the perverted boy had awakened his power after being attacked by another Fallen Angel when he was fulfilling Koneko's last summon request the other night. Lelouch wondered at the sheer amount of terrible luck it must have taken the boy to get attacked by three different Fallen Angels all in the same week. He once again found himself feeling some form of sympathy for the boy. Though he did admire the power he could sense from that gauntlet when it was no longer causing him a headache.

That power of Issei's had some serious potential, he watched Issei walk out of the clubroom with a cloud of depression following him after Rias had given him a warning to not go halfcocked against a group of Fallen Angels just because he unlocked his Sacred Gear. She probably could have phrased it better, Akeno apparently agreed as she slightly reprimanded the President for her language. He ignored the conversation though he did raise an eyebrow at Rias "new favorite" comment. "Hey, what about me?" He feigned hurt. She gave him a look, seeming to realize he was in the room for the first time. But her reply was drowned out as a headache split his skull for a moment, before leaving behind a sense he was needed. He grunted in slight surprise, not having expected the strange sensation. It flared in his mind even stronger and he looked over at Akeno. "How does it feel when someone calls for you when they use a flyer?" He asked, as the feeling grew more powerful with each passing second.

Akeno looked at him strangely. "It feels like you have a sudden urge to go somewhere." She explained. "Why? Do you think someone's calling for you?" She, Rias, and Koneko looked Lelouch as he grasped the side of his head in discomfort.

"Yes, it feels like someone has used one of my flyers." Lelouch understated the feeling. It felt almost… desperate in how it was calling for him.

Akeno walked over to the open area of the clubroom and spread her arms preparing her spell. "Alright, just tell me where you feel like you need to go and I'll direct my spell to send you there." She instructed. Lelouch somewhat stumbled over, the hand that wasn't grasping the left side of his head scratching absently at his chest. He made his way over to Akeno without issue, though he nearly tripped over the couch as his vision split.

' _What the fuck is going on_?' Lelouch mentally groaned as he regained his normal sight, the double vision fading as he stopped in the center of the Transportation Circle. "Kuoh hospital." He grunted out, before closing his eyes to avoid the discomfort caused by the flash of light from Akeno's spell.

He stepped out of the portal, far more carefully than he had the other night, and managed to avoid falling flat on his back this time around. He opened his eyes and crossed his arms as he witnessed the scene in front of him. A young woman was holding onto an older man's hand, as she held back tears. The individual both of them were looking at lay on the hospital bed, was an older woman who looked like she had undergone intensive chemotherapy.

' _What did they summon me for_?' Lelouch wondered as he took a step, the sound of his shoe clacking on the immaculate hospital tile drawing the pair's attention. "I believe one of you two may have had a flyer given to you in the past few days?" He asked softly so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping woman. "I'm the Devil who heard your request." He answered, ignoring the surprise on the older man's face. "I'm here to make a Contract with you, what would you like in return?"

The older man stood up, balancing carefully on the woman he assumed was either his daughter or granddaughter before reaching for his cane. He nearly slipped, but Lelouch dove forward and held him up before he could hit the floor after the young woman accidentally lost her grip. He let go once the man regained his balance thanks to the cane the woman gave him.

"Thank you, young man." The elderly man rasped out kindly. "I'm afraid my balance isn't what it used to be." He said with a throaty chuckle that sounded almost wet. "To be honest I didn't think much when I held out the flyer and wished for someone to come help us," the man frowned heavily. "All of my prayers to God have done nothing, my wife still continues to suffer." He looked to Lelouch, who had flinched at the mention of Him unknown to the nearly blind old man. "Are you a student? Rather strange for a Devil to be a student isn't it?" He asked curiously.

"Not as strange as you'd think." Lelouch responded dryly, enjoying the laughter the old man let out, but getting concerned at his cough. "What would you like me to do? You must have had a wish for the flyer to have activated." He asked once the man's coughing fit subsided. Lelouch turned to the woman. "Perhaps you could get him some water? I can keep an eye on your father for you." He offered.

The better look he got revealed hints that she was likely middle aged making this man her father. She excused herself quietly and left to get some water from the hallway. He turned back to the old man. "I assume you don't wish to have your daughter here what you're willing to offer for your wish. You have maybe a few minutes before she returns." The old man thanked Lelouch quietly and took a deep breath before speaking.

"My wife has had cancer for about five years now." He began sadly. "We're both rather old, so we expected the normal aches and pains, but this was more suffering than either of us expected. Physical and emotional for her, and nothing less than near continuous emotional torment for my daughter and myself. What my wish is…" the old man paused to take another breath. "My wish is for my wife to no longer suffer. I want this pain that has held a hold over our family for the past half-decade to disappear. I don't care what price I have to pay, I just want my family's pain to end." He looked up at Lelouch pleading. "Can you help us? You're my last hope. My prayers have done nothing despite how devout we have been. You're the last person I can turn to so I can ease my family's pain." He closed his eyes. "I don't care if it costs my life or my soul, I would do anything for my family." He waited with baited breath for the Devil's answer.

Lelouch stared at this old man who had such a simple wish. He smiled, this old man truly cared for his family. He admired that. He plucked a small tablet-like device from his pocket and scanned it for the going rate for this kind of wish. It was a pretty big price to pay, but not the old man's soul it seemed. "The price for this wish is half your remaining lifespan." Lelouch answered, reassuring the old man. The reason being the length of time the request would need to be in effect, essentially until the woman died. "I won't need your soul should I fulfill the Contract, but you will only live half as long as you would otherwise. Of course, if I fail then there is no price for you to pay." Lelouch looked at the old man who looked as though he was about to burst into tears. "Is that an acceptable payment?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, a thousand times yes." The old man blubbered as tears flowed down his face. "I will gladly give up that time to save my family from this pain." Lelouch held out the small tablet device and directed the man to tap certain areas to signify his acceptance of the contract. Lelouch placed his hand over it and spoke in a formal chant. "As the Knight of Rias Gremory, daughter of the Duke of Gremory, I do hereby accept this Contract. Should I fail to hold up my end of the bargain may the price be returned and the Contract unbound." There was a small flash of red before he placed the tablet back into his uniform's pocket, a few seconds later the woman reentered and gave her father his drink.

"This young Devil here thinks he can help us." The old man said, beginning a small conversation with his daughter as Lelouch walked over to the bedside of the poor older woman. He felt a cold rage as he stared down at her. The rage he felt was directed not at the unfortunate woman, but at the uncaring deity that had allowed this kind of suffering to exist in their world.

' _What good are Gods_ ', he thought, ignoring the pain that split his mind once again and just increased his anger, ' _when the humans who worship them suffer in countless ways all throughout the world_?' It seemed no matter the world, the higher powers couldn't seem to care about people who worshipped them.

Lelouch heard a small change in the old woman's breathing, taking him away from his cynical thoughts. "I see you're awake now." He spoke softly, drawing the father daughter pair's attention. The two quickly ambled over and Lelouch moved slightly out of the way. He gave them a moment before coughing to draw the old man out of his conversation with his wife whose voice was straining with pain. "If you want me to fulfill my Contract I will need a moment alone with her." He announced, directing them to leave the room.

' _What am I going to do_?' He had yet to come up with a way to fulfill his end of the bargain, going on pure instinct at this point. After a moment where Lelouch felt a strange _shift_ inside him, he clutched his head in pain. It felt similar to when his Geass had gone out of control for the first time. As well as the time he had used his Geass in the World of C.

He opened his eyes, having closed them as the pain hit a peak before beginning to subside, and noticed a familiar sensation had returned in both of his eyes. A sensation he hadn't felt since his first death. ' _My Geass has returned_?' Lelouch realized with surprise, before using one of the metal medical tools to take a look at his eyes in the reflection. ' _Not quite_.' Lelouch noticed a few differences after looking into his eyes. ' _This isn't Geass_.' He noticed a different sigil in his eyes than the one that he was used to, it looked rather strange.

Still, he felt that he should know more about this than he did. Yet that knowledge was irritatingly out of reach for the moment.

' _I can examine this more later_.' Lelouch decided before turning to the old woman who was staring at him curiously. He didn't have time to examine his powers right now, he had a Contract to fulfill. He wondered if this power functioned similar to Geass in the respect he needed it to right now.

"Hello, my name is Lelouch vi Britannia." He announced quietly, knowing that she would soon pass on to the next life. "Your husband made a deal with me to end your suffering and I plan to uphold my end of the bargain. Will you accept?" He would not use Geass, or whatever this new power was, on this woman without her acceptance of her husband's Contract. She could speak for herself, though the first thing she did when he asked her his question was chuckle.

"You are a kind young man." She said tiredly. "I have no objections to easing my pain, I can tell my time is near." She smiled, it wasn't entirely toothless, but she clearly had some teeth removed during her long life. "I thank you for this last act of kindness before this old woman leaves this world." She looked very happy at the thought of resting after living her life and, as Lelouch made his way towards her, he wondered something.

' _Is that how I looked as I awaited my own death_?' He ignored the thought and spoke to the woman who had a husband willing to give up half his remaining lifeforce for her sake. "Look into my eyes." He whispered, as she did so he flared the power he'd held inside his being that felt so similar to the one that had once helped him conquer the world. " **You will no longer feel any pain, you will no longer feel any suffering during your life**." He **Commanded** the woman who had no ability to resist his powers, feeling a dip in his small pool of energy, cutting the tiny reserve by about a quarter.

The power of **Command** faded from his eyes as he wondered if he could deactivate it unlike his Geass. ' _Huh, I guess it responds to my will unlike a Runaway Geass_.' Lelouch considered while watching the woman to see the reaction she'd have to his actions.

The elderly woman gasped as, after looking into the young man's eyes, she could no longer feel even the dull ache that she had come to live with as her cancer progressed. In an instant, a second she couldn't recall, she had been freed from her pain. Tears of joy filled her eyes. "Bless you, young man." She sobbed happily. "Bless you." She repeated, crying in happiness. "My pain, it's gone." She whispered in wonder. "It's gone!" She repeated to herself a few times, uncontrollable joyous laughter fleeing her frail body.

Lelouch hid his pain from her 'blessing' and let the family back in to reunite, with the father, daughter, and mother all crying tears of joy. He felt his power grow as the Contract was fulfilled, sensing the elderly man would likely join his wife if she passed on soon by the end of the year. ' _Three months_.' Lelouch realized that was how much energy the old man had left to live, after their Contract. He had gained three months' worth of lifeforce as a payment after using his power to ease the woman's suffering for a little while longer. ' _How unfair_.' Lelouch mused, feeling slightly bad for the old man even though he could sense the old man's fate was sealed by this Contract.

Still, his first Contract had completed and he could feel his base energy levels had more than doubled thanks to the high-level wish he had granted. It wasn't saying much considering they were rather low to begin with, but it was a surprising jump for his first Contract. He felt rejuvenated despite the chunk of energy that ended up being used to fulfill the Contract.

"I feel… strong." Lelouch murmured as he walked slowly out of the hospital. Staring at his palm and clenching his fist, he marveled at the change a few days could make. He had never felt this physically powerful as a human being, his Devil physique feeling the same only with enhanced versions of what he remembered from when he was human. ' _Just what does this mean_?' Lelouch wondered as he walked back to school, taking his time so he could enjoy the fresh air. He hadn't ever gone to the hospital in Kuoh before, but he enjoyed the little stroll he decided to take on his way back. He might as well enjoy the sights before handing in his report he figured.

* * *

He stared in slight surprise as he entered the school to witness a rare sight. Issei staring out in the distance distractedly in the hallway while Rias left and he didn't stare while she walked away. He followed her as she walked into the library. Lelouch stayed near the door for a moment as he watched as Rias sat down, staring pensively down at the table.

"Did I miss something?" Lelouch asked as he drew Rias out of her contemplative mood. She looked at him curiously. "It's unusual to see Issei not fawning over your breasts, Prez." Lelouch deadpanned at her questioning look. "For him to look so depressed like that, you must have forever denied him the right to touch them or something." He blinked. Wow that joke was in _bad_ taste, though Rias seemed to laugh as his bad joke pulled her out of the funk she was in.

Maybe he shouldn't stick her humor as a benchmark for his bad jokes considering she found Issei amusing with his perverted antics.

"He's upset because I told him he wasn't allowed to meet up again with a cute nun he met today on his way home." Rias said. "Devils and the Church don't get along too well so it would likely end badly for him if she found out what he was and I couldn't take that risk."

Lelouch considered her argument. It made a lot of sense. "You did the right thing," Lelouch admitted, surprising Rias.

"Really? You don't think I should have let him follow his heart?" She asked, getting confused when Lelouch shook his head.

"I didn't say that." Lelouch clarified. "What I meant was that, if relations are really as tense as you say, then Issei's lust for a cute nun doesn't outweigh the risk he'd be at if he went to the church to spend time with her and ended up discovered as a Devil." He held up his hands, as though they were scales. "You needed to weigh his personal safety in comparison to his personal feelings. You believed his safety was more important and acted accordingly, therefore you did the right thing as Issei's King." He looked at her as she reacted with slight shock. "I figured, you represent the King Piece, don't you?" He asked rhetorically. Ignoring her reaction, he continued. "Regardless, I didn't say that letting him follow his emotions would be a bad thing. It's your duty as a leader to weigh what you consider important when you hand down orders to your subordinates, which we, as your Peerage, currently are." Lelouch crossed his arms and made his way to the chair in front of Rias, ignoring the stunned silence of Rias as he sat down across from her.

His impromptu advice on leadership came out instinctively, feeling a strange sense of being on the outside looking in as someone who had a burden similar to the one he held as Zero and Emperor. Though the position was one with far less influence, she still walked the line between respecting her subordinates' own opinions and keeping her own responsibility towards them in mind. His Geass had let him jump rope with that line and that had been his downfall, or at least one cause of it, and he wasn't eager to see someone in a similar position he had once held make the same mistakes.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you." Lelouch admitted, drawing Rias' attention once again.

"What can I do for you Lelouch?" Rias asked, curious what the mysterious boy in front of her could want. Unlike Issei, Lelouch was far more difficult to get a read on. Show a little skin, offer a little tease, and Issei would jump through hoops for a girl with large enough breasts. She thought his obsession was downright adorable, making her feel like she had a crazy little brother.

Lelouch seemed to only be close to Koneko and Kiba, but he seemed to absorb everything they said about being a Devil like a sponge. She didn't know him very well, but she knew he was top of his class. Without any effort it seemed since every time she had him observed he looked bored beyond all reason.

"I fulfilled a Contract that held the price of half of the person's remaining lifespan." Lelouch said causing Rias no small amount of surprise. That was one large prize for Lelouch's first Pact. "He was an old man who wanted to ease his wife's suffering, she had cancer for the past five years and summoning a Devil was the last hope he had to ease her pain before she died." He continued after taking a small breath, feeling mildly depressed at that family's situation.

"I didn't get much considering he only had six months left to live, meaning I only obtained three months' worth of energy, but something strange happened when I went to see what I could do about the woman's pain." Lelouch decided against mentioning his new power, as well as how he was familiar with something similar to it, for now. He didn't know how similar it would be to any powers that already existed in this world. He didn't want to announce his past by using a power that had no equal here.

"I felt a shift inside of me and I _think_ I may have used Devil Magic." He said, going with a half-truth. "I want you and Akeno, or even just one of you, to explain all that you can about Devil Magic, because I'm pretty sure shouldn't have been able to use it to fulfill that contract." He was collected on the outside, but inwardly he was concerned. He didn't appreciate the sudden shift he had felt messing with him. He wanted to be in control over his own actions and not have to deal with some unknown instinct influencing him to act without his conscious knowledge.

Rias crossed her arms under her bust as she looked at Lelouch who was lazing back in the chair, staring her in the eye as he awaited her response. She closed her eyes and breathed softly, opening them to give Lelouch a serious look. "I wouldn't normally consider teaching a Devil who has been Reincarnated for such a short time," Rias admitted, ignoring Lelouch's frown as she continued. "However, as you already seem to have a knack for it I'll talk with Akeno about tutoring you after school in our spells, provided you and Koneko don't already have any plans?" She teased her Knight with a grin, pouting when Lelouch didn't even blush at her implication.

"I told you before you even turned me," Lelouch reminded her dryly. "I have no romantic inclinations towards anyone right now. I'm perfectly happy being single." He shrugged. "Although I may have to amend my previous statement and say that Koneko and Kiba are definitely more than just acquaintances as I had called them before." He smiled softly as he thought of his petite roommate and the blond Devil. "They're the closest thing I have to friends in this school." ' _Hell, in this world_.' He finished to himself silently, ignoring the sense of melancholy as he realized he was still having a hard time considering Kiba or Koneko truly friends.

It was something that Rias had noticed as well. "Why are you so hesitant to acknowledge Kiba and Koneko your friends?" Rias asked with confusion and concern. "You know how they feel about you, Kiba begged me to save your life and Koneko slept next to you all through the night and a good chunk of the day to heal you." She glared somewhat at Lelouch. "Those are the actions of true friends, how come you can't say you feel the same?" She asked seriously.

' _Because the last person I could truly call my friend is the one who killed me in front of the entire world on my orders_.' Lelouch thought before responding with, "The last true friend I had is no longer with me." He admitted with a half-truth. It would be more accurate to say that it was the other way around. "I guess I'm just hesitant to get close to others after that." Getting stabbed by his closest friend had a strange way of making it less likely for him to want friends it seemed. How shocking.

Rias reacted with surprise at the frank admission from her Knight. "Oh, Lelouch." She stood up and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the fact his face was level with her breasts. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She pulled him in harder, squishing him as she tried to physically convey her sympathy to her Knight. He smacked her hip, making her draw back in surprise as Lelouch pulled back and coughed slightly.

"Look, thanks for the sympathy." Lelouch grumbled as he regained his breath. "Just don't suffocate me okay?" He huffed, standing up before he could get smothered again. "I promise I'll try to begin considering Kiba and Koneko my friends, and I'll work on getting closer with the rest of your Peerage alright?" He swore. He truly did want to get closer to Kiba and Koneko, he didn't know if he had it in him though. His heart hadn't been open in so long after all. "Let's just go, I want to try and understand why I seem to have this _knack_ for Devil Magic as you called it." He didn't appreciate the near suffocation. He made his way out of the library, hearing Rias' heels quickly catching up to him as she led him back to the clubroom. He looked at her in questioningly as she followed him.

"I need to get some stuff from the clubroom before I go." She answered his unspoken question. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Akeno and Issei still in the room, though it looked like Issei was packing up to leave. "You're still here?" She directed the question to her Queen, curious.

"I got a message from the Archduke." Akeno replied, making Rias hum in slight surprise.

Lelouch entered behind Rias and murmured his question. "The Archduke?" Ignoring Issei staring at him after he had walked in after Rias. "Who's that?" He was curious, he wondered who that was as he leaned up against the wall. He needed to wait for Rias before she could tell him the schedule she'd try and get Akeno to agree to so he could start his lessons, but this piqued his interest.

Akeno ignored him, focusing solely on Rias. "It was urgent, a Stray Devil's been causing trouble nearby." She told Rias seriously, none of her normal bubbly personality showing through. Issei and Lelouch shared a look and asked at the same time, "What's a Stray Devil?"

Rias and Akeno ignored their question as the red-head said to Lelouch, "Looks like we're gonna have to wait for now, sorry Lelouch." As Akeno prepared the Transportation Circle to move the four of them. "Ready Akeno?" She asked her Queen, ignoring Lelouch's nod of assent and Issei stumbling from his seated position to quickly follow them. She grabbed Issei's shoulder to make sure he wasn't left behind. "Now Akeno." She ordered once Lelouch was in the spell's range and Akeno took them to gather the rest of the Peerage.

Lelouch would find himself getting a more hands on lesson than she originally planned, but this could benefit Issei as well. She didn't like that it came up like this, but she would seize the opportunity.

* * *

Lelouch quickly gathered himself as they all appeared in a forest on the outskirts of Kuoh. "We're about to face off against a Stray Devil." Rias declared, as they began their trek through the woods. Her Pawn, two Knights, Rook, and Queen were all gathered together for a single fight. Lelouch was curious if this amount of power was truly necessary, considering he and Issei didn't have much direct fighting experience. Well, he didn't with Devils at least.

The group remained quiet as Kiba explained just what a Stray Devil was for Lelouch and Issei's benefit. "A Stray Devil start out as Devil's servants," Kiba began before Issei interrupted him. "You mean like us?"

Kiba reacted strangely, his eyes flickering to Koneko causing Lelouch's to do the same and he noticed her clenched fists at that insinuation.

"Not exactly, a Stray Devil is one that has betrayed their Master and either killed them or fled from their service." Kiba responded to Issei, treading the topic carefully. Lelouch wondered why Koneko would have such a reaction to being compared to a Stray Devil, making a mental note to ask her later if she was willing to answer his question.

She was still somewhat mad he had not gotten all the sweets she wanted when they went shopping over the weekend.

"This one has been tricking people into that abandoned mansion." Akeno gestured up to the enormous building they could see towering over the trees atop the hill. "According to the report, she's been devouring their souls to grow stronger." Issei's grossed out reaction was shared by Lelouch, though he didn't verbalize it.

The group fell silent for a while as they made their way to the mansion when Issei asked, "Why do some Devils betray their Masters and become Strays?"

Lelouch snorted quietly, but not silently enough as he drew Rias' attention before she could respond. "You want to field that one Lelouch?" She asked in response to his dismissive action with a tone of warning. That was not a good example of trying to get along.

He blinked, well he didn't plan on it but it couldn't hurt. "Devils likely betray their Master," that term still made him feel uncomfortable but he bore with it. "For the same reason humans betray each other." He held up his hand and began ticking off the list from starting from personal experience. "They feel like they've been lied to, they want more power, they hate their Master, or they simply want to." He ticked off his list, drawing a few looks of surprise at his cynical response. "Some humans will betray each other no matter what reason they have, often at the slightest provocation." Lelouch shrugged. "I don't see why some Devils wouldn't be the same."

The group fell silent at that, though just before they arrived at the mansion Kiba whistled. "Dude, that is a _really_ depressing outlook on life." Kiba looked at his friend, who didn't respond except for a slight twitch over his left eye.

"You wouldn't betray us." Koneko pulled on his uniform's sleeve. "Right Lelouch?" She asked. Lelouch turned to stare into her eyes and saw that she was exposing a genuine fear that he might actually do what he said and betray them for little to no reason. That had been the first thing she had said to him beyond yes or no the past day or two. He found himself slightly surprised at this show of vulnerability from the normally implacable Koneko, but decided to respond honestly, surprising even himself.

"No, I won't." He blinked as he looked away from the relieved Koneko's eyes as he realized he actually meant it. There hadn't been anyone back in his world he had not been willing to betray when push came to shove, not even Nunnally had been spared once he had become dead set on his goal of completing the Zero Requiem.

He had betrayed everyone he knew and loved at one point or another in his short life and yet he could not see himself betraying Koneko, Kiba, or the rest of the Peerage. They were all decent, kind, caring individuals who welcomed him into their family despite not knowing him well if at all. And without the threat of the Britannian Empire or the desire to create a better world for his little sister regardless of the personal emotional toll it took on his soul, he just couldn't find a reason why he would possibly betray this group.

He eventually wanted to strike out on his own, but he couldn't see any reason why he would betray them after becoming independent. Unless things changed drastically, he didn't see betrayal as any reasonable action he could take. All he wanted right now was to get strong enough to the point where he could develop his own power and there wasn't any reason why he couldn't do that with this group.

Lelouch disregarded the philosophical bent of his thoughts as they approached the entrance to the mansion. He needed to focus so he didn't get himself hurt by the Stray Devil.

"These monsters are pure evil." Kiba declared to prepare them for battle, though Lelouch was already willing to kill this thing that had devoured human souls. "They don't care about anything except their own selfish desires." Kiba opened the door carefully, acting as the first target before opening it wider to allow the rest of them to walk inside. "The end result is always ugly." He finished, closing the door behind them.

The formation was designed to provide a strong attack and defense while protecting the backup and the newest members, Lelouch realized as he noticed the order Rias had them enter the decrepit building. Rias and Koneko were first, followed by Kiba and Akeno, and then him and Issei.

He wondered if Rias was using herself as bait or if she had her own spells that would be able to serve as an effective attack. He already knew that Koneko was likely meant to be a shield and sword, the Rook was the only piece capable of Castling with the King in chess after all, and he assumed Akeno, the Queen, and Kiba, the more experienced Knight, were meant to serve as backup in case one of the other two needed assistance while he and Issei were supposed to tag along as a learning experience. Once they were fully inside, he and Issei were surrounded with each member of the rest of the Peerage maintaining a lookout for the Stray.

It was a good, if basic strategy Lelouch decided. Not bad, not what he would have done, but not bad.

"Issei, Lelouch." Rias spoke to the pair as they walked through the building. "Are you familiar with the game of chess?" She was curious since if they knew at least a little bit it would be easier to explain.

Issei answered unsurely, "Yeah, sort of." What did chess have to do at a time like this? "I've played it but I totally suck."

Lelouch blinked before outright laughing for a few seconds. "Familiar?" He chuckled, surprising everyone present at the genuine humor in his voice for once. "I'm virtually a Grandmaster." He answered to Rias' surprise. At her questioning glance, he shrugged. "It's a gift I suppose. I've only ever lost to one man. I've beaten hundreds of other players." He admitted, still feeling sore at his loss to Schneizel. Still, he had won when it counted.

"Good," Rias decided to ignore the sudden reveal of some of Lelouch's past. He seemed to be revealing more of himself day by day. She hoped he would trust them all eventually enough to share his story. "This will make this explanation go a little easier." She took a deep breath and began to describe the Evil Pieces.

"As the Master, I'm the King." She said, confirming Lelouch's earlier suspicion. "My Empress is the Queen, my Cavaliers the Knight, my Tanks the Rook, my Clergyman the Bishop, and finally my Footsoldier the Pawn." She looked at Issei out of the corner of her eye to make sure he wasn't getting overwhelmed like the night of their induction. Seeing he was following her, she continued. "High Ranking Devils can grant the characteristics of each of these Pieces to their servants."

"That sounds kickass." Issei interrupted before shutting up at Lelouch's slight glare.

"We have a special name for these." Rias ignored the comment by Issei. "We call them our Evil Pieces."

Lelouch hoped she'd get to some new information soon, Koneko had already explained most of this to him the first day. How Issei had gone this long without asking the right questions he'd never know.

Issei nearly spoke but noticed Lelouch's intense look and decided against it, letting Rias finish without comment. "I want you and Lelouch to watch and learn what these attributes mean in combat."

Finally, Lelouch was hoping he could see just how the attributes of the Evil Pieces could be used in battle. ' _It's about time_.' Lelouch thought to himself, genuinely surprised Rias hadn't explained all of this to Issei until just before they were heading into battle. ' _I hope that doesn't become a habit of hers_.' He hated it when he got new information sprung on him mid-battle.

Nothing good ever came as a result of surprise on the battlefield.

"Pay close attention to my Devils as they do battle for tonight." She ordered her two newest servants. Issei mumbled a quick, "Okay" while Lelouch said, "Understood." Before turning to look at a pillar as he followed Koneko's line of sight at the sound of her voice.

"It's here." Koneko's quiet voice reached his ears easily as the building made her voice echo slightly around them.

A seductive voice called out from the shadows, "Now what could that foul smell be?" She, and by Satan, Lelouch hoped it was a she, moaned. "Something smells _delicious_. I wonder if it tastes sweet." Lelouch noticed that a disturbing looking form appeared behind the pillar Koneko had looked at as she noticed its presence. "Or _bitter_?"

Issei exclaimed in joy as he saw the full chest of their enemy and Lelouch at least knew one thing. ' _Welp, it's definitely female_.' He thought dryly to himself, ignoring Issei's exclamation about breasts with practiced ease by this point.

Rias began a dramatic speech declaring their purpose here in eliminating the Stray Devil before them as well as listing out her crimes, giving her a final warning that felt more like a formality than anything else, but Lelouch was rather distracted as he tried to figure out what the hell made up her lower half. Because it sure as Hell wasn't humanoid as far as he could see. Not that he could see much thanks to the shadows that covered it up.

And when he did see what made up her lower half, he kind of wished he hadn't. "Holy fuck that looks disgusting." Lelouch murmured, it hadn't been shadows. That was _black fur_ and an absolutely monstrous body. He threw up a little in his mouth after seeing her lower half revealed, as the Stray fondled herself. Issei was loving everything going on above the waist, but Lelouch noticed something that disturbed him greater than before. And that was saying something since he was feeling more disturbed tonight than he had been in a _long_ time.

Lelouch noticed some energy begin to gather around the Stray at a rather… specific spot. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" He cursed with a scream as he jumped away, far faster than he last remembered he could, from the _nipple lasers_ that were being used by the Stray to target them. Rias tackled Issei out of the way while Lelouch dove behind a pillar. The attribute of Knight, granted to him by Rias, allowed him to move _far_ faster than he could before.

Unfortunately, as he was not used to moving at such speeds he crashed into the pillar and hurt his shoulders after landing back first into the stone. He grunted in pain, shifting his arms and wincing as he felt the pain flare. ' _Note to self, work on getting used to new speed_.' He had been so weak and slow as a human that this massive increase was going to take some serious work to get used to.

Koneko dove behind the same pillar and was giving him a look of mild concern before he waved her off with a slight flinch. "I'm fine, just not used to my new speed yet." He whispered, taking care to not draw the attention of the Stray.

She nodded in understanding. "Stay safe." She whispered with her finger over her lips, moving behind the pillars and stuck to the shadows, preparing her own assault on the Stray.

He ignored Issei's cry of "This is a porno I don't wanna be in!" as Rias brought the pervert near him, "Be careful you two, I don't want either of you involved in this battle." She made her way to the main battlefield, leaving her two new Pieces together in the back. Lelouch leaned against the pillar as he stared across the room, curious how Rias would handle herself in a combat situation.

"Kiba." Rias ordered and the blond boy seemed to know exactly what she wanted as he manifested a sword by his side, drawing it, and charging the Stray almost in the same motion. Lelouch looked on, impressed at the blond's form as he managed to score a good hit on the Stray while she was distracted somewhat firing her ridiculous, yet still dangerous attack. He had managed to sever one pair of her arms entirely, the blood splatter coating the ground as a result of the monstrous body that made up the Stray's lower half losing its arms. The Stray screamed incoherently, before searching for another target.

Rias began to explain that he was a Knight, granting him a speed boost which, when combined with his skill with a blade, made him an incredibly dangerous attacker. Lelouch agreed wholeheartedly with that assessment, impressed with the blond's technique. ' _Not a single wasted motion_.' He frowned slightly as he realized that wasn't entirely true. ' _Except for that pose just before he struck_.' Kiba would need to break that habit before it got him injured, there was no time to be posing on the battlefield unless your enemy was totally defeated and even then, it wasn't a good idea.

Dramatics weren't always the greatest strategy.

He noticed that the Stray's attention was quickly turned on Koneko, causing a spike of worry to shoot through him. He made a break to tackle her out of the way while Issei wasted time shouting at her to move, but she looked at him and shook her head slightly before she got swallowed by the Stray's lowest mouth. He stopped in shock at what he had just seen.

"Koneko." He muttered as he walked slowly close to where she had been standing, feeling a cold sensation begin to burn at the center of his chest the greater his rage became. But Rias' voice drew him out of his angered state.

His eyes widened and he sighed in relief as soon as he saw the mouth shaking open with Koneko forcing it wide. "She's alright." He muttered absently as he scratched the center of his chest, feeling the cold sensation stop burning. ' _Strange_.' He ignored the weird sensation and watched Koneko use her _immense_ strength force its lowest mouth wide open.

Her wide eyes were lit up with a spark of happiness, though her clothes could be in a better state considering he, and everyone else, could see the lemon colored underwear she had picked out. It was a battle though so clothing damage was practically a given considering Kuoh uniforms weren't meant to be that durable. Lelouch just smiled at her, happy she was still okay.

She smiled back slightly, apparently forgiving him for his slight over the weekend, before adjusting her grip on the Stray and, to Lelouch's surprise, _punching_ it. "See you on the flip side." He chuckled at her snarky comment, as he watched the enormous Devil quite _literally_ flip as it crashed through a pillar.

She landed next to him and spared him a quick look, brushing off her sleeves. He just patted her on the head slightly, brushing off some dust as he said, "I got worried. Glad you're okay." He whispered looking down at the petite, yet powerful Devil.

She flinched almost as soon as he touched her head and Lelouch noticed, he slowly moved his hand from her head. ' _She's shivering_.' He noted, as he also saw her eyes wide in reflexive panic before she composed herself.

He knew signs like that, and he wondered who had hurt Koneko in the past to make her fear physical contact like that. He knew it would be a bad idea to get distracted by something he could find out later however as he turned back to where the Devil landed. "Nice punch." He complimented, making sure to avoid bothering her any further. He decided to pay attention to the last part of the battle, having tuned out Rias and Issei during his slight panic over Koneko's predicament.

"Akeno, finish up." Rias ordered her Queen. Lelouch was surprised to hear the noticeable change in tone from the normally bubbly Akeno. "Oh, is it my turn now?" Her voice trembled with a dark excitement. "I do so _love this game_!" She declared with a twisted giggle as she walked to the Stray that had been disarmed by Kiba's blade, defanged by Koneko's punch, and nearly knocked unconscious by the pillar she had flipped into as a result of Koneko's strength.

As she was doing that however, Issei saved Rias from being impaled by the severed arm of the Stray by attacking it with his Sacred Gear.

Lelouch and Koneko turned around to watch and both were surprised at the force behind Issei's attack as it managed to divert the arm's path away from Rias. Unfortunately for the pair, it ended up flying towards them.

Lelouch's eyes flashed before Koneko stepped in front of him and conjured a shield, deflecting the arm away from the two of them. He had reacted reflexively, despite having no idea what his new power could do in this situation, and the cold fire in his chest burned again. Lelouch clutched his head in pain for a moment before he felt Koneko tap his shoulder, causing the pain to fade once more as he turned his attention to her. Her eyes widened for a moment. "Your eyes." She said simply and he realized his new power was still active.

' _Shit_.' Lelouch thought before deactivating his power once again. "Later." He whispered, as he turned his attention to Akeno as she finished up the battle. This strange power had reacted to a threat before Lelouch even thought to use it, he wondered why that was.

Akeno raised her arms up and prepared to end the battle. But not without a little _fun_. "You're not the only one who likes to play rough here." Akeno declared with a voice Lelouch was having a hard time associating with the kind young woman he knew. Lelouch watched in shock as he watched Akeno giddily _torture_ the Stray with her lightning magic.

"She… has _issues_." He murmured, before blinking at the sheer amount of hypocrisy in that statement coming from him.

Koneko just stared blankly before muttering, "Sadist." Lelouch nodded in agreement, sweating slightly before Rias finally called her off.

He overheard Rias saying Akeno was really into S&M. Lelouch felt that was a _serious_ understatement as he watched a blushing Akeno whine about not being able to finish after she was called off by Rias.

He didn't know if she meant the battle or something else and he really didn't _want_ to know.

Lelouch and Koneko walked over to the defeated Stray along with Rias and the others of her Peerage. Lelouch wanted to see what Rias could do, he had seen everyone else, including Issei for as quick as his Sacred Gear had been used, and he wanted to see what the King could do in this interesting twist on his favorite game.

He was glad to see Rias didn't treat true battle like chess. Despite his love for the strategy and the game itself, Lelouch knew that chess and war didn't mix very well. He was happy Rias knew that as well when she was ordering her Peerage into battle.

"Let's get this over with." Rias declared before requesting everyone stand back. Lelouch stopped around where Akeno stood, keeping about a foot of distance between himself and her, with Issei and Kiba taking up her other side. Together, the five of them all watched as Rias used her own magic. A magic that intrigued Lelouch as he could feel the sheer destructive force the spell contained.

"Game over." Rias declared as a dark power began to gather before her, making Lelouch shiver as he felt the concept of **Destruction** be unleashed upon the Stray. In an instant, the Stray wasn't just killed.

It was absolutely _annihilated_. There was not a single sign that its body had even existed.

Ignoring Rias' statement that they were done, Lelouch disagreed. "What… _was_ that?" He hadn't felt anything that destructive since he witnessed the F.L.E.I.J.A. and even then that weapon was produced by humans for large scale warfare. Rias' spell, it was almost similar in sheer destructive force to that terrible weapon, yet it only targeted the Stray. Everything surrounding it was completely unharmed except for what had happened during the battle.

"That was my **Power of Destruction**." She answered her Knight. "It is a gift from my bloodline and, unlike other Devil Magic, cannot be learned by those outside of my family." Rias turned. "That's enough of a lesson for now, let's go home." She smiled at them before beginning to walk out.

Issei remained silent before asking a question. "What Piece am I?" The young boy wanted to know what kind of attributes he'd have. "Am I something badass like a Knight?" Rias giggled and answered. "You're a Pawn." Issei began complaining, but Lelouch ignored it as he walked out with Koneko following him along with Kiba and Akeno.

He was tired, this day was depressing and exhausting. Lelouch just wanted to go home and get some sleep. Still, he looked appraisingly at the mansion just before he left. ' _Perhaps I can use this_.' He thought to himself, putting off further considerations for another day.

The Peerage began to split up as they had to take different routes to get home. Issei split first, with Kiba and Akeno leaving in different directions as well. Leaving just the small group of Rias, Koneko, and Lelouch.

"I'll talk with Akeno before the end of classes tomorrow to set up a training schedule for you, alright Lelouch?" Rias asked, making sure to remind him about his request to learn Devil Magic. "I don't quite know how well you'll do considering your reserves aren't that high, but if you already used it during your contract on some level it should come to you easier the more you practice." She didn't feel much magical energy coming from the dark-haired boy, but if he already did it once working on the basics shouldn't give him too much trouble.

"Thanks Rias," Lelouch responded tiredly, barely holding back a yawn. He blinked as he realized he and Koneko had arrived home. "See you tomorrow." He waved tiredly before unlocking the door, Koneko slumping slightly next to him. He glanced at her, ignoring Rias' own goodbyes, noticing she looked about as tired as he felt. Her uniform was in tatters.

"If you want I can help you buy a replacement uniform." He offered, it would be another way he could repay her for helping him get new clothes after he lost everything. "I don't think that can be repaired easily enough for you to keep it." It had been shredded by whatever was in that Stray's mouth.

Koneko looked herself over and shook her head. "The Student Council can get me a replacement easily enough." The petite girl yawned, slowly making her way towards the stairs. "We can talk about your eyes later." She felt her head beginning to dip tiredly. "I just wanna sleep." Koneko murmured, leaning against the wall near the stairs and reminding Lelouch about his strange power activating during the battle. "Goodnight, don't forget breakfast." She demanded sleepily before heading up the stairs.

"Goodnight." Lelouch responded, not able to conceal a yawn this time around. He shook his head slightly in amusement at the order for breakfast. Koneko could never get enough of his food it seemed.

He fished out some pajamas from his shopping trip and changed into them, enjoying their softness compared to the stuffiness of the uniform. Lelouch crawled into bed and meditated as he'd done every night, trying to immerse himself in his own power.

' _I wonder what I'll learn tomorrow_.' Lelouch thought as he nodded off.

He wondered what learning Devil Magic from Akeno would be like, she seemed like she knew her stuff.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's by far the longest one of this story yet. I hope you don't mind me skipping over some parts (like the shopping trip) as well as jumping a few days. It didn't seem to make much sense to write those scenes out, they're just background stuff.**

 **I'll be describing some of Lelouch's new clothing when it becomes relevant though, so you at least know what he looks like.**

 **Anyway, I think I have a plan for Devil Magic training, but I need to learn more before I can post the next chapter so it might take a while for that one to come out. I'm still new to the DxD series after all. Also, if anyone has ideas for Contracts/Pacts for Lelouch to complete, feel free to let me know.**

 **I'm taking this story as it comes to me for the most part, but I like how it's coming along for now. I have made a few edits to earlier chapters, if you like you can read them so you can follow what changes I have made easier.**

 **Feel free to review if you like.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	4. Chapter 4: Identity

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Identity**

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The morning after the incident with the Stray had revealed Lelouch's power, the Knight was making scrambled eggs for a waiting Koneko who was still asleep in bed. He turned the stove off once he was sure he made enough food, enough to satisfy even her gluttonous appetite.

He carried the set of plates up the stairs, already dressed in his uniform and ready to go having risen early again thanks to yet another annoying dream that he couldn't remember. Even though school wouldn't start for hours, he was already wide awake. He knocked on the door, ignoring the cute white sign shaped like a cat's face with Koneko's name written on it hanging in the middle.

"Koneko, rise and shine!" Lelouch shouted with false cheer. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation about his power that he inadvertently revealed the previous night, but wanted to get it over with. "I'm coming in!" He announced for her benefit and got a sleepy glare in return from the adorable Koneko as she was practically buried under her covers.

"It's too early to be alive." She groaned after seeing her glare didn't affect him, probably because her hair was all over the place. Damn bedhead making her look less threatening. At least she had managed to conceal her features before he walked in.

She covered her head with her blanket and growled like a kitten. Though in her head she would maintain it sounded like a lion. "Why are you up so early?" She whined pitifully. She felt her bed dip and sniffed as she smelled Lelouch's cooking. Unable to resist, Koneko slowly sat up, not letting up on her glare. "Damn you and your bribes." She grumbled with a hissing yawn, stretching her arms above her head.

Lelouch blinked slightly at Koneko's choice of sleepwear. She had lavender, bicep length silk gloves covering her arms along with a magenta top. The top connected around her throat like a collar, a bow in the center of it, while the bra cups had magenta shaded stripes and it only went down to a little past her stomach, revealing her toned midriff.

"Koneko, isn't that a little… risqué?" Lelouch asked curiously after she sat up and cursed at him when he sat down with their breakfast in his lap. She must have been very comfortable around him to be willing to wear something so revealing.

"What's wrong with a girl wanting to feel sexy?" She grumbled, though she couldn't conceal a blush. She had wanted to get comfortable after that disgusting Stray had nearly eaten her, so she picked out one of her more relaxing outfits. No one had ever seen her in it before and it was a little embarrassing.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Lelouch chuckled, sweating slightly. He wasn't touching that with a ten-foot pole. He lifted up the tray as she crawled into his lap unexpectedly revealing her magenta shaded panties and lavender stockings. "What are you doing?" He nearly squeaked. Lelouch didn't think she had feelings for him, but he hadn't always been the best at judging that sort of thing in the past. Was this her way of being bold?

"Trapping you so you can't run away." She declared unknowingly shooting down his theory about her feelings for him as she got comfortable and reached up for the tray. She grunted. Damn her shortness! "Feed me and explain." The petite Devil who could crush him with a single punch ordered from his lap.

Lelouch had a feeling he had pissed off someone up there as he felt Koneko squeeze his side with her hand, trying to force him to drag down the tray he held above his head. He had forgotten her Rook strength for a moment. His mobility was limited and she was free to crush his side at her leisure. He was trapped alright, there was no way he was getting out of his explanation now.

She was ridiculously light, thanks to her petite body, but, as he could feel from the pinching in his side, she was _strong_ despite her size.

He lowered the tray over her lap, glad he had picked a wooden one since a metal tray would have burned her exposed thighs. "Can we move? I'm a little uncomfortable on the edge of your bed." He could feel himself falling off as her blanket shifted underneath him.

With a nod, Koneko let him shift until he was leaning against her pillows as she had done last week when explaining how he had become a Devil and resumed her place in his lap, nibbling on the eggs he had brought up for her. "Thanks for breakfast." She said with sincerity as she tasted her friend's scrambled eggs. ' _Yum_!' She thought as she tried to pace herself and leave some for Lelouch.

"If you want I can wait." Lelouch said as he chewed on his own morsel, glad Koneko was eating slower than the other morning. "The talk will take some time." Koneko nodded and the pair ate in silence.

Once they finished their breakfast, Koneko placed the tray down next to the Knight and Rook pair on her bed and looked up at Lelouch. "Now, spill." She ordered, leaning back into him and getting comfortable for what was likely going to be a long conversation. She pulled up the blankets to cover them up to her waist, attempting to warm herself up as Lelouch's body heat wasn't enough for her.

"I would prefer it if you kept this secret from everyone else, can you do that for me?" Lelouch began, waiting for Koneko's nod before continuing. "Okay, here we go." Lelouch took a deep breath, ignoring the scent he accidentally picked up from Koneko's hair, she liked fruity shampoo apparently, and he began his story.

Koneko listened carefully to Lelouch's heartbeat, prepared to catch any lies, as she leaned against his chest. She wouldn't let him get out of this, she wanted to know about her friend's strange crimson eyes.

"Once there was a young boy, desperate to protect his younger sister." He began, preparing a heavily abridged but semi-truthful version of his story before he got to its effects. "So desperate in fact, he made a Contract with a witch to gain the power to make his little sister's dream come true." He felt Koneko stiffen in his lap and got concerned.

"Is everything okay Koneko?" Lelouch wondered what had tipped her off, he hoped he hadn't made a blunder with his assumption that there were witches in this world. He naturally guessed that, with Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels, there would likely be witches as well.

"K-Keep going." Koneko stuttered quietly. Lelouch had once had a younger sister? He had never even hinted that he'd had any siblings.

"Okay." Lelouch acquiesced. "This Contract was an exchange between the witch and myself." He no longer felt the need to conceal his identity as Koneko already knew by now. She was a rather intelligent girl after all.

"In exchange for granting one wish of hers, I would be granted the Power of the King." He didn't want to use the term Geass, not knowing how that term could apply in this world, so he chose to instead use the alternative name C.C. had once called it.

"This Power of the King granted me the power to fulfill my sister's dream, but at a terrible cost." Here, Lelouch swallowed, blinking away some tears that threatened to fall. "My little sister was turned against me by my elder brother, and to fulfill her dream, I had to pretend I had betrayed her so our brother would not be able to stop me." A crack echoed throughout Koneko's bedroom. Lelouch's head turned sharply and he felt his cheek swell.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, ignoring the throbbing in his cheek from Koneko's slap.

Koneko blinked away tears from her golden eyes, staring at Lelouch who refused to meet her own. He was still staring in the direction her slap had forced his head. "Why?!" She whispered harshly. "Why would you betray her?!" Koneko shivered slightly as she realized she almost said _Why would you be betray me?!_ by mistake. She crossed her arms as she tried to prevent her body from trembling.

"To protect her and fulfill her dream." Lelouch answered honestly. Noticing Koneko's shivering he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and brought her in close. He made sure to keep his arms only around her thin shoulders. "Who betrayed you, Koneko?" He whispered as he held her close, ignoring the ticklish sensations her hair caused on his nose. That was the most likely explanation for this kind of indignant reaction. He held her against his chest as she shed her tears silently.

"My elder sister." Koneko whispered to her friend. "She's a Stray Devil, she killed her Master and left me to take the blame." Her tears were flowing silently as she finally revealed her secret to someone other than those who already knew for the first time. "How could you betray your sister like that, why would Kuroka betray me?" She whimpered, wrapping her own arms around Lelouch to take comfort in his somewhat awkward hug.

"I can't speak for your sister." Lelouch answered, holding Koneko as she began to stop crying. "But I can tell you why I did what I did however." Even if it was an incredibly edited version it felt good to get this off his chest. Talking about this with Koneko was helping him feel a lot lighter for some reason.

Perhaps he could also help her by telling his story.

"Please, continue." Koneko whispered, sniffing Lelouch and taking comfort in his scent as he spoke. The way his chest rumbled as he spoke mixed with his steady, honest heartbeat was calming to her.

She felt mildly disappointed he wasn't reacting to her sitting on his lap, but squashed that emotion. Now wasn't the time to be pining.

"My brother had his own ways to fulfill Nunnally's dream." He began to finish, finally revealing his sister's name. "But I felt it was wrong, so I fought him. I won and succeeded in using my Power of the King to fulfill her dream at the cost of her love for me." ' _And my life_.' Lelouch finished his setup for his explanation. "I had thought I lost that power after fulfilling her dream, but when I became a Devil I discovered that I now had a power that was similar to the power I once had."

"What does your power do?" Koneko was curious, he had yet to explain that.

"What the King sees, the King **Commands**." Lelouch replied. "My power was to **Command** anyone to follow a single order, no matter what." Even if the order was antithetical to their very nature. Euphie's face flashed in Lelouch's mind alongside her laugh. "The only time I used after becoming a Devil was to remove a woman's suffering during my first Contract." Lelouch hoped to quell any fears he may have used it on any member of the ORC with that statement.

"It went out of control, once." Lelouch admitted, feeling he should divulge this to at least one person. "So using it makes me a bit nervous." The last thing he wanted was to have Runaway Geass again. "A great tragedy was the result and I had to end the life of one of my sisters to prevent it." He whispered, nearly choking as the admission left his throat. Even after all this time, he still felt guilty for what happened to Euphie.

Koneko was feeling nervous, Lelouch's fear of losing control bringing up her own memories. Still, he had revealed so much of his past. She wouldn't feel right if she didn't' return the favor at least a little bit. Her friend deserved at least that much.

"There once were two sisters." She began, revealing her cat ears and tail for the first time, taking some enjoyment at the look of genuine surprise on Lelouch's face. It was a sight she had never seen before. "They loved each other very much. The two of them were Nekoshou, a rare subspecies of Nekomata. They only had each other for the longest time, but that was enough." Or, that's what Koneko thought. When had her sister begun to feel differently?

"The elder eventually became the servant of a Devil, leaving less time for her to care for the younger." Tears silently slipped down her cheeks as she stared at Lelouch. "Then, one day, the elder sister killed her Master after the Devil Magic caused her Nekoshou powers to run wild. She fled, becoming the highest ranked Stray Devil in the Underworld, leaving her little sister behind. The Devils in charge thought to kill the younger sister, so as to prevent the tragedy from ever happening again."

Lelouch's eyes flashed as his rage caused his Power of the King to awaken. His crimson eyes stared into Koneko's golden, as he listened to her tale.

She gasped slightly as she got her first good look at Lelouch's own cursed power. His eyes were beautiful to her, whether they were violet or crimson. That was the moment she would look back on when she realized how much she cared for her friend. Until that day, she would simply marvel at the beauty held within his eyes.

"But the King of the Devils stepped in." Here Lelouch's surprise returned and she had to resist a giggle at how she had managed to surprise her friend twice in one day. Miracles really did occur it seemed. Still, she couldn't suppress a small smile.

"He saved the young Nekomata, and gave her to his younger sister who was the heir to the House of Gremory." Koneko closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Here Lelouch could connect the dots and deduce the rest, but he allowed Koneko to finish her story. Her tail was waving from side to side, revealing her contentment.

"She took her in and treated her as a dear friend." She finished looking up at Lelouch. "Even giving her a new name and considering her family." She pressed her hands against Lelouch's chest, feeling his heart.

"That's my story, Lelouch." Koneko stated nervously, staring up at him searchingly. "Do you still accept me for who I am despite my lies?" Her identity itself was a lie, the identity she had become friends with Lelouch under, was a lie. She didn't know how he would react to that kind of information.

"Koneko," Lelouch shook his head, staring at her ignoring the burning in his eyes that signaled his Power of the King was active. "No, whatever your real name is, I will always accept you. You're my friend." He admitted to himself and out loud for the first time. He shushed her, placing a finger over her lips as she almost spoke her name. "You don't have to tell me your name, I have not been entirely honest with you either." He picked her up and moved her until she was off his lap, sitting across from him on her paw printed sheets. He crossed his legs, trying to return some feeling to them as they had been in one position for a while.

"My name is not Lelouch Lamperouge, but I don't feel comfortable revealing my full name right now." Lelouch admitted. "My last name is a lie, one I have used for years to protect myself. Shedding it doesn't feel right, so since I can't give you my real name in return, I don't wish to know yours right now." Until he could return the favor, Lelouch didn't feel right learning something as intensely personal as Koneko's true name.

"When there is a time when we both feel comfortable admitting who we truly are, then we can exchange our names." Lelouch smiled at the Nekomata girl across from him as she concealed her features once more. "Is that alright with you?"

"I understand, Lelouch." Koneko answered sadly, her face falling before becoming determined. "I promise, I'll prove you can trust me no matter what." She moved to go get herself dressed since they had been talking for quite some time. "I promise not to reveal anything you've told me this morning." And she meant it too. Even if Rias ordered her, she wouldn't betray her best friend.

' _Best friend huh_.' Koneko wondered slightly where that came from before she realized it was accurate. Kiba was more of a brother to her, Rias more of a motherly figure, Akeno an annoying elder sister. Issei was that annoying cousin she wanted to deck into next week half the time.

Lelouch was, aside from the older Peerage members, the closest friend she had despite having only known him for a few months.

She stripped to get herself dressed in her uniform, trusting Lelouch to give her the privacy she needed. He wasn't like Issei, she knew he wouldn't peek on purpose without her consent. Although… she didn't mind if Lelouch saw her, she was happy he was impressed with her PJs she had picked out on a whim last night.

Lelouch liking what she wore gave her a strange warm feeling in her heart, but she didn't know what it was. She was just happy to have such a close friend like Lelouch.

Lelouch closed his eyes as he realized Koneko was changing into her uniform. He rubbed his legs slightly to wake them up before ending the conversation with something he hoped would make Koneko more comfortable. "If we're home alone you don't have to hide your Nekomata features if it would make you more comfortable to keep them out."

He felt a small pair of arms wrap around him in a hug and a mischievous voice say, "Thank you, ~nya." He opened his eyes and saw Koneko's ears, her real ones, perked up happily. "I appreciate this, ~nya." The Nekoshou said happily.

Lelouch patted her on the head, noting the small flinch before Koneko relaxed into his touch. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with being touched it seemed. Still, he was glad he could make his friend more comfortable in her own home.

He'd be a terrible guest if he forced his host to hide who she truly was after all.

With that, the pair set off to school, Lelouch wondering what would happen during his first training session with Akeno after classes were done.

* * *

It had been about two weeks since Lelouch had become a Devil after his second death and a little over a week since he began training with Akeno. In that time, he had learned much about a Devil's Magic during his lessons after classes and over the weekend.

In his lessons with Akeno, he learned that Devil Magic was far different from the stereotypical kind where it was necessary to chant incantations or speak magic words to use spells.

Devil Magic responded to the emotions and desires of its wielder and the stronger the emotion or desire the stronger the spell. Those emotions and desires that provided the strongest increase in power for Devils were those that were tied to the Seven Deadly Sins. Pride, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, and Greed.

It made sense that Devils would be fueled by Sin when he thought about it. As they were not human, they would not see the Sins as anything inherently wrong like many people did. For Devils, Sin was a fact of life. Literally.

According to Akeno, normal Devils didn't usually use the Seven to increase their power because they were hard to control despite being the most useful so it wasn't common to use them. Most Devils used other emotions to power themselves up if they found it necessary.

There was also the fact that some of the Sins were not as useful in combat.

Some, such as Sloth or Gluttony, were less than useless in combat. Laziness had no place on the battlefield.

Neither did Envy or Greed, though if a Devil was fighting to _gain_ something that could change since they could apply in that case. Lust, like Envy or Greed, could provide power in combat, though it would be under specific conditions.

Although if any Devil could weaponize Lust it would be Issei.

Pride would only work for Devils that were sure of their strength and there was a risk that, if they began to lose, their Sin would begin to weaken them instead of strengthening them.

Wrath, however, was by far the easiest to use in combat. But the main problem with Wrath was that it was also the hardest to control, requiring a will strong enough to ensure that the Sin did not consume the Devil and weaken them.

She also said that Sacred Gear users had a side-benefit to the "emotion increases power" effect as their Sacred Gear could grow in power the stronger their emotions were when they were using it.

While it was disappointing seeing as that he didn't have a Sacred Gear to take advantage of that increase, he decided to focus on using the Sin that he felt the greatest connection to so that he wouldn't handicap himself. It hadn't taken Lelouch long to figure out what Sin fueled him the most.

His Wrath. Wrath towards all those who he deemed his enemies. It would explain the cold rage he felt inside his chest whenever he was angry. His Wrath was spiking and increasing his power according to his emotions.

However, it wasn't solely the emotions or desires related to the Sins that made a Devil's Magic strong. If a Devil didn't have good enough imagination, then even if they were the strongest they would be unable to use their powers to their full potential.

A Devil's Magic was fueled by their emotions and desires, with those related to their Sins the strongest focus, and if a Devil had a creative mind then, should they have enough magical power, their ability to learn was theoretically limitless. The only spells a Devil would be unable to learn would be those they literally couldn't due to not being a member of a certain family and thus lacking certain traits.

Lelouch had a disadvantage as a Knight because, except for the Pawn, the Knight granted the lowest magical reserves out of all the Evil Pieces. That was partly why he chose to use Wrath as his focus to increase his powers, so he could offset his normally lower reserves.

He had fulfilled about a dozen Contracts by now, but his power had only doubled once after his first. After his first pact, it had taken another eleven Contracts for him to get such an increase. Yet he was still only a Low-Class Devil.

Apparently Devils classified each other based on Classes. The Class System was designed based not only on actual base power but potential as well. As a result, any heir of the Pillars, the remaining Pureblooded Devil families in the Underworld according to Akeno, was automatically considered to be a High-Class Devil.

Potential was usually determined in part through Rating Games, which had intrigued Lelouch when Akeno had explained them to him, but there were other options should a Devil choose to take them.

Unfortunately for him, despite being fueled by a healthy amount of Wrath, which increased his base power and being quite imaginative, he had a limited repertoire of spells available to him as a Low-Class Devil. Unless he wanted to dedicate time to learning standard spells for his Class, he'd need to develop his own. And that was one of the things he had been working on the past week of training with Akeno. He hadn't had too much progress, but he had enough to the point he was satisfied for the moment.

He had two spells that were unrelated to his **Power of the King** , as he and Koneko had settled on calling his first spell since, not only was it accurate, but, in Koneko's words, it was "badass".

The Knight and Rook pair had many talks with one another over the past week or so and Lelouch could finally say without feeling like he was lying to himself that he truly had a friend in this world.

The other two spells he had created were easily used so he chose to focus on them for now, he already knew what he needed about his first spell and wanted to make sure he didn't try and learn too many spells at once. He wanted to focus on the two he had created over the week and master them before moving on to other, higher, tiers.

It was possible for a Devil to work their way up, but it would take a tremendous amount of power and ability to do it quickly. Lelouch would be stuck for the foreseeable future, though he decided to set his current goal to be Mid-Class by the end of the school year instead of immediately shooting for High-Class.

He'd also begun to realize that the stronger he grew the less he would gain from the Contracts, unless the price was the soul of the human which would probably double his power yet again in an instant at the very _least_. If he truly wanted to get stronger faster, he'd have to train physically and magically in order to grow his power rather than relying on Contracts. No matter how much he detested the physical effort.

And that was how he found himself face down on the ground outside the old school clubhouse, where the ORC held its meetings, after classes. Koneko and Kiba sat off to the side, watching his training session with Akeno. Kiba was there because, as the first Knight, he could offer Lelouch pointers on how to improve his control over his speed and how to efficiently use his magical power.

Koneko was there because she wanted to encourage him and because, after the exhaustion he faced after his first training session, he made sure to have a couple meals packed so he could recover his energy quicker before heading home.

Lelouch guessed Rias was watching from the window to make sure her Queen didn't take things too far, but he didn't count on it.

He had gone home with his uniform in tatters and utterly exhausted after his first training session with Akeno. He was very thankful for the Student Council President's willingness to give him a new uniform each time one of them was destroyed during his training. When he thanked her, she simply shrugged and said that the same thing had happened when she trained other members of her own Peerage.

Lelouch groaned loudly, ignoring Akeno's taunting with ease. His Sin of Wrath was flaring as strong as ever. He concentrated on the cold rage flaring in the center of his chest and held up one of his hands as he rose to his knees. He concentrated the energy into his palms and fired off a shot, not surprised in the slightest when Akeno stepped to the side to avoid it as it had been rather slow.

The black orb of Void energy flew off into the sky, and Akeno taunted him again as she walked towards him to finish him off so they could have some food. Lelouch maintained a straight face through all of her taunting and just waited.

Perhaps she had seen something in his face, or perhaps she had sensed the energy of the orb returning behind her, but either way Akeno spun around right in front of Lelouch and raised her arms to shield herself from his attack that had circled back around to target her.

Lelouch used his arms to balance himself and swept the distracted Devil's feet out from under her with a somewhat sloppy low kick, though it got the job done as she was unable to block the orb from hitting her after her hands instinctively went out to catch herself so she wouldn't hit the ground.

He scrambled backwards a second or two before the orb hit the Queen in the center of her back, pushing her onto the ground as the first solid hit he had gotten on her in the past week of training finally forced the dark-haired girl to the ground.

Sitting back against a tree with his legs trembling slightly from some of Akeno's earlier lightning attacks screwing with his nerves down there, Lelouch stared at Akeno as she got up with only some mild burns on her back from his last-ditch effort. Though the back of her uniform was shredded.

"You snapped off my bra." She complained and Lelouch could see the strap had been broken after the attack struck her before she turned around with a grin. "But it hurt so good." Akeno licked her lips, trying to tease him for the umpteenth time. "You finally managed to get a good hit on me." She blushed and delicately placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm so proud." Her grin developed a wicked quality as she looked at him. "Can you hurt me more?" She taunted him.

She was disappointed, but not surprised, to see him keep a straight face. Just as he was disappointed, but not surprised, that his attack hadn't done more than superficial damage.

' _Huh, I guess she's a sadomasochist and not just a sadist_.' Lelouch realized as Akeno reacted to what he was sure was nothing more than a good sting. Not only did she like inflicting pain, but she didn't mind receiving either if that comment was anything to go by.

 **Void Shot** was a spell Lelouch had come up over the past week or so when he got more control over his powers. **Void Shot** didn't cost him much energy as they were small spheres of magic, about the size of a tennis ball, that held the concept of **Void** and, as a result, were pitch black.

It was a spell that was fueled by his Wrath, a spell that used the concept of Nothingness to destroy its targets that had enraged him. In other words, the orb of Nothingness, of Void, consumed whatever it touched to attempt to fill its emptiness before detonating in an explosion.

At least, that was the theory behind it. In reality, unless the magical resistance was insanely weak or nonexistent, Lelouch's spell didn't do more than superficial damage unless he used more power than was safe for a simple spar. He could increase or decrease the amount of energy each orb cost him, allowing him the chance to use it as a distraction or a full attack.

He watched dully as Akeno charged up one last lightning spell, knowing that this next one would be the last. He sighed, closing his eyes and focusing on the remaining energy inside him. There wasn't much left, but at least he wouldn't be knocked unconscious this time after using it.

As Akeno fired the lightning, Lelouch held out his hands in front of him and focused. " **Negate**." A shield began to take form in front of him, blocking the lightning strike entirely at the cost of about ninety percent of his remaining reserves.

The shield that appeared before him was pitch black in color. It was a large magic circle, large enough to defend his entire body if necessary, with a single white sigil he recognized all too well in the center.

It had been the symbol of his Black Knights after all, though he wondered why his shield would have that marking in its center. The only reason he could discern was that it was what he considered his personal Seal which was reflected in his magic circle.

Similar to the Gremory sigil that Rias had appear when she cast her spell to obliterate the Stray the previous week or when it had appeared the other times he had seen her magic circle.

He panted, allowing the shield to dissipate after Akeno's attack was over and the lightning faded. He ignored her taunting, grasping onto the tree behind him to help him stand up. He nearly stumbled, before Akeno caught him and helped him over to where Kiba and Koneko were sitting and enjoying their food.

Koneko had once praised the quality of his cooking so highly before the rest of the club a while ago that they all wanted some taste of his legendary cooking. He personally thought they were making a big deal out of nothing, he genuinely didn't think he was that good a cook just because he was a perfectionist.

The rest of the ORC vehemently disagreed, even Issei who didn't like him very much, had all agreed that his cooking was by far the best they'd ever had. And now he was a designated cook for group events, including his own training sessions.

Koneko handed him the remaining food in her box, adding it to his own pile of three, to help him regain his energy. She, and the other two knew just how draining his shield spell could be.

He estimated he had about three to five percent of his full power remaining. Just enough to stay conscious to eat and regain at least a little bit back before going home to rest and recover through the night. He dug into what was left of Koneko's food, about as quickly as she had eaten his pancakes, before moving on to the other three filled boxes.

 **Negate** was by far his most draining spell, the opposite of **Void Shot** which didn't even use a full percentage of his power without his intention due to how efficient he had made the spell.

Depending on the power of the spell he was blocking, his **Negate** spell would use anywhere from less than one percent to one hundred percent of his remaining energy to "negate the concept of attack and damage" to prevent it from reaching him. The idea Lelouch had behind creating it was to essentially make the ultimate shield.

In theory, it countered the force of the attack with a shield of exactly equal power in order to zero out its effect and protect him. The downside was that it was simply theory. In reality, once it was activated it would stop the attack or drain him dry in the attempt so he had to be able to either know about the spell beforehand or analyze it before deciding whether to block it or simply try and dodge.

As Lelouch ate, he considered everything that he had learned. While his power was only growing slower with Contracts, he already felt himself recovering faster as he ate. "Contracts really are for new Devils, aren't they?" He murmured aloud, drawing the other three's attention.

"I mean, Issei grew stronger after fighting off a single Fallen Angel." He pointed out. "And I already feel stronger from this training session than when I complete a normal Contract." Akeno looked at him appraisingly as Kiba chuckled.

"That is true." Akeno nodded, biting into her own meal. "Pacts," she looked at Lelouch curiously as she picked up on the difference in how they phrased the same thing before tucking the thought away for later. "Are a way for newer Devils to get stronger, but the more powerful you get the less you gain from each one." She chewed her own food slightly, thinking over her words.

"That's not to say they're unimportant. Devils still do them because power is power, no matter how small the increase." She shrugged, adjusting the top of her uniform carefully after so it didn't fall off.

Having the back of her shirt damn near destroyed made it difficult for it to stay on if she moved too much.

"Still, I think I'd rather focus on training." Lelouch made his decision known, having thought it over the past few days. "Contracts aren't doing much for me and Issei could probably use all the help he can get since he has yet to complete a single one." Yet, from all he heard from Rias and Akeno, the perverted boy had some of the happiest customers out of the group, with only Koneko being more popular to call upon.

Training like this was painful as hell, pun intended, but he could feel himself growing in strength far faster than with just Contracts. He may have hated physical activity with a passion, but he disliked the idea of ending up weaker just because he didn't enjoy training as much as others.

Lelouch saw little point in continuing with his Contracts for the moment, knowing that he needed to work more on the two spells he had developed over the past week or so if he wanted to advance as quickly as he wanted so he could start developing stronger spells.

If he wanted to gain more power, he needed to focus on increasing the strength of his current spells before moving on to the stronger ones.

* * *

Lelouch was meditating at his and Koneko's home later that day, immersing himself in his power as he had done every night. She had gone to help Akeno, Kiba, and Rias handle an Exorcist that was targeting Issei. Rias, feeling he wouldn't be of much help after his exhausting training session, told him to remain.

He didn't like it, especially since Koneko was going into battle, but Lelouch knew she was right.

Even if he didn't like not being able to watch her back, Lelouch knew he could trust in Koneko's strength.

Unlike the battlefields back in his home world, where his brilliant strategies could turn the tide without him having to lift a finger, it truly was might makes right in this one. And his might was sorely lacking for the moment.

And so, he meditated, trying to draw on his Wrath without letting it consume him.

As Akeno had explained to him, if a Devil was not careful, their Sin wouldn't boost their spells without a serious cost to their magical reserves. If a Devil had enough control over their Sin however, it would provide an invaluable boost to their magical power. Wrath was harder to control due to the nature of combat, but Lelouch felt he could master it if he focused hard enough on acclimating himself to the sensation.

He also tried to focus on the energy of the Void. He was concerned that the element he was naturally drawn to was the one that represented the Nothingness that sought to consume everything around it to fill its emptiness.

He wasn't sure he liked what that said about his psyche.

Regardless, it had taken practice, but, despite having his focus split between maintaining his Wrath and managing the energy of the Void from within his body, Lelouch felt he was making progress.

Lelouch had managed to maintain a steady feeling of the cold rage that fueled his connection to the Sin of Wrath for a solid half an hour now. And the energy of the Void was just below the surface, waiting for his call to action.

It felt like he had a ball of ice cold rage festering inside his soul. Every breath he took, he could feel his Sin and his connection to the Void growing in power. He had reached double his normal base energy ten minutes ago and was steadily reaching halfway to the triple mark when he sensed a magic circle appear in front of him.

"Lelouch, Rias would like to request your presence in the old clubhouse." Akeno was polite as she teleported into the living room, before opening her eyes and trembling slightly at the sight in front of her. "L-Lelouch?" Her voice quivered as she spoke to the young man on the bed. He felt so _cold_.

" **What is it Akeno, speak**." He ordered before opening his eyes, revealing their crimson red coloring. He still couldn't prevent his **Power of the King** from flaring when he allowed his Wrath to increase his power. But, as he had learned over a few Contracts when his control had slipped slightly, unless he deliberately focused on _using_ the spell, flaring his power as he did so, the spell could remain active in his eyes.

It could prove useful if he ever needed the split-second of time it took to activate his spell, but Lelouch was still careful with his words whenever he got like this. He didn't normally keep it active, but sometimes he didn't have much of a choice.

He also noticed he almost instinctively ordered when he was in this state. He didn't request, speak, or ask, he _demanded_. It was a little confusing for Lelouch, why he would act like that, but he decided to write it off as a side-effect of the state of mind he entered that, so long as he avoided flaring his active spell, didn't do anything other than make him sound like a King ordering his subjects.

Lelouch's voice was almost a growl as he spoke. "Holy shit that's hot." Akeno whispered before shaking herself out of it. "Um, Rias wants you in the clubhouse." The Queen was having a hard time not falling to her knees as she beheld the sheer amount of _power_ Lelouch's Wrath granted him.

' _His eyes_.' Akeno felt a blush flush her cheeks. "You're Wrath, it's overwhelming." She spoke with admiration coloring her tone. So much _anger_ and _hate_. She loved it!

Lelouch allowed the sensations he had been focusing on for the past half an hour to slowly fade back into his being, causing his eyes to revert back to their normal violet coloring. "I see, thank you for coming Akeno." This way he didn't need to walk. He blinked curiously at her strange compliment.

"My Wrath?" Lelouch had felt far stronger than he had before, but he didn't expect it to have this kind of effect on Akeno. "Are you okay?" The Queen looked almost sick with how red her face was.

' _He hasn't realized_.' Akeno noticed with surprise. Lelouch's power was normally about the level of a Low-Class Devil at the bottom tier, which was normal for a Devil who had been Reincarnated for less than a month, but when she arrived she was struck by just how much power his Wrath had granted him on its own. It had grown him to mid-tier Low-Class _at least_.

"After we're done with the Fallen Angels, I want to fight you in that state." By then the increase from his Wrath would be even greater as his base power would have increased as well. The fact that he had contained so much raw Wrath inside without allowing any of it to leak out, it was the kind of a surprise she didn't expect out of the normally calm and collected Lelouch.

She wondered what fueled his magnificent Wrath, even though she was almost scared to find out.

"Okay?" Lelouch drew out his answer, confused by Akeno's request considering he doubted he was her equal, even in at his current peak strength. He stepped into the circle and Akeno took them back to the clubhouse, reverting to her normal demeanor as she did so.

Lelouch turned his attention to the undressed form of Issei as Akeno wrapped up some of his wounds. He moved and sat down on the couch across from the injured boy, eyes softening in some sympathy as he took in the boy's wounds.

"That Exorcist sure did a number on you, huh Issei." Lelouch commented, analyzing the scar on the boy's back. It looked like it would need to be healed further soon or he doubted it would disappear.

"Yeah." Issei agreed downtrodden. "I couldn't save Asia." He was so disappointed in himself, he couldn't save his friend when it counted.

"Asia?" Lelouch asked curiously, not recognizing the name.

"That nun friend of Issei's." Rias' voice sounded from behind him as she left the shower, thankfully dressed this time. "She's apparently working under a Stray Exorcist with the Fallen Angels here in town."

Lelouch's eyes widened at that. ' _What is with Issei's luck when it comes to Fallen Angels_?' He wondered. The poor kid couldn't seem to catch a break. He assumed that the Stray Exorcist was a term similar to Stray Devil, only referring to an Exorcist who was excommunicated from the Church.

"She's not with them!" Issei asserted adamantly. "She would never, she's too kind!" Issei _knew_ Asia, he knew she would never work with those scumbags.

"We can't take that risk Issei." Rias ordered, solemnly. "If she's with the Fallen Angels then she's a threat we must be wary of." Lelouch, understanding her paranoia, agreed. Though, once again, Rias needed to work on her phrasing as this would just inflame Issei and make him more stubborn.

"She wouldn't hurt a fly!" Issei shouted, as if to prove his prediction, before storming off after he finished getting dressed.

"You need to work on how you say things, Madame President." Lelouch said as he looked at Rias' dumbfounded expression. She looked like she was blindsided by his reaction. "Issei's just going to dig in deeper until he finds out a way to save that girl."

He hadn't mentioned her appearance once, all Issei had described about Asia was her personality. Issei cared far more for this young girl than Lelouch had thought the boy capable of at this point in time. Issei's care for Asia went beyond simple Lust as he had first suspected.

"Why did you send Akeno for me?" He asked, cutting off any excuse Rias may have been prepared to give him. She needed to think on his advice later, to make sure that she didn't end up accidentally driving one of her Peerage away. "I was making progress on controlling my Wrath so I can use it in battle."

"Oh boy, was he." Akeno murmured admiringly from her position on the couch, drawing a glare from Koneko which she didn't notice. The white-haired girl made a mental note to ask Lelouch to demonstrate just how far he'd come in his practice when they got home.

She wouldn't lose him to that busty sadist.

Besides, she was curious. His Wrath always gave a strong boost to his spells when he was training with Akeno and he got pissed, she was rather impressed by it actually, considering how short a time he had been a Devil. She was always eager to see how far he'd come.

"That's good, actually." Rias admitted, resolving to try and be more careful with her words in the future thanks to Lelouch's advice. "We may need to fight the Fallen Angels here in Kuoh soon, so I'll need you to be in top shape." The President gave a look to her sadistic Queen.

"That means no training for the next few days as we wait for the Fallen Angels to make their move." Ignoring Akeno's complaining, she looked at Kiba and Lelouch.

"Kiba, I want you to help Lelouch work on his speed." She ordered. "It's not bad, but it could use a little last minute polishing before we fight." From what she had seen of Lelouch and Akeno's spars, the young man had his speed under control save for a difficulty handling sharp turns and decelerating without skidding beyond his landing point.

"Understood Lady Rias." Kiba acknowledged looking at his somewhat friend. This would be the first time they were going to be alone together since Lelouch had become a Devil at Kiba's request.

"You ready for some control training tomorrow Lelouch?" The blond asked his fellow Knight. It was rather late, so he decided to wait until the next day to begin Lelouch's training, Rias could get them permission to skip school for a club event if they needed.

"Sure thing." Lelouch said with a smirk, feeling excited at the chance in the near future to test out his power in combat.

"This was the reason I had Akeno grab you Lelouch." Rias admitted, wishing Issei had remained so that she could have given him this information as well, but he was still too impulsive. "Fallen Angels are a legitimate threat to us as Devils, but they've been intruding in the territory of the Gremory family so I must remove them from my domain." She declared, waiting to see any sign Lelouch or any other members of her Peerage disagreed. She saw none.

"I'm unsure of the day we will launch our assault, but I know it will be soon." Rias ordered. "So, be prepared to get called at a moment's notice to arrive here so we can develop a battle plan."

Lelouch smiled at Rias, approving of her initiative. He hoped he got the chance to off the Fallen Angel who had killed him the first time in this world.

Vengeance would be _so_ sweet.

* * *

 **I know Koneko and Lelouch opened up quite a bit to each other and some will take issue with that, but here's the thing I don't think has been made clear enough. They have been friends, or as close to it as possible before now in Lelouch's case, for literally months.**

 **They're comfortable with each other, though Koneko's mild crush (that she's unaware of) is partly why she was okay with Lelouch seeing her in her more… _risqué_ pajamas. Otherwise there would be no way in hell she would have let him in her room.**

 **Regardless, there are reasons for their closeness, but they happened over the months that established their relationship in the beginning. I am beginning this story at the point in their relationship in which they begin to grow closer. I doubt anyone would enjoy reading a story where Lelouch lives the life of a normal student without being aware of the supernatural for months on end, so I just decided to leave most of their interactions before Lelouch became a Devil off screen.**

 **I hope I did well with the Devil Magic, I borrowed the idea for Sins being a thing for Devils from "A Demon Lord's Hero" by Fahad09, though I use the concept differently than they do. I just wanted to give credit since it was that story that inspired me to include that concept and I thought it wouldn't be proper to not give credit where credit is due.**

 **Regarding Akeno's attraction to Lelouch's Wrath, it's entirely superficial. At this point. It may or may not evolve, I haven't decided on that point yet. The attraction is her sensing his immense _rage_ which calls to her inner sadist, wanting to see him unleash it on some poor fool and watch as they suffer at his hand. She's excited by the possibility of having another Devil on her team who can appreciate causing pain to their enemies because the others simply aren't as sadistic as her.**

 **Lelouch? Well, he can be rather sadistic when he's angry. That's something I plan to use as his personal Sin of Wrath will be a rather large focus of his power. Don't worry, I'm not making him overpowered right away.**

 **He's going to steadily grow in power all throughout the story and, if I do my job well, every increase in his strength will have a basis in either some training that he has done or a battle he was involved in. He will need to keep up with Kiba and Issei's development though so he will be getting far stronger in a much shorter time than he believes he is capable of doing.**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter out by next weekend. I can probably get one or two more chapters out before school starts and I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises.**

 **Review if you enjoyed the chapter please, if you flame you will be ignored.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	5. Chapter 5: Vengeance

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Vengeance**

* * *

Lelouch yawned as he walked through the woods with Kiba, preparing to begin his speed training. He was dressed in his pair of black boots, a pair of black jeans with a grey belt, a white button down long-sleeved t-shirt, and an unzipped black jacket lined with golden thread around the edges along with a high collar around his neck. He had decided against going to school today, having a feeling his training would be exhausting and being tired after the previous night.

He and Koneko had stayed up late the night before, testing to see just how far he could use his Wrath to increase his base power. His limit before he felt it begin to consume him was triple his base power level, but it had taken a while for him to calm down. By the time he went to sleep, it had been nearly midnight. Koneko had been impressed by the energy level she could sense from her friend, but she had gotten worried at one point.

Apparently, at the halfway point between doubling and tripling his power he had been completely unresponsive to outside stimuli. That was concerning, especially since he didn't know if that meant he would be unable to notice pain, something that would increase his risk of taking a serious injury and not noticing, or if it meant he would be unable to tell friend from foe.

He had resolved to himself and promised Koneko to not attempt to go beyond that point unless it was life or death.

She had really worried when he went totally blank and stopped hearing her words until he began to come down from his peak strength.

"Now, there isn't really a way to _teach_ control when you're moving at high speeds. There's no magical way, well there might be but that's beside the point, for me to tell you _exactly_ what you'd need to do if you're making a sharp turn or trying to dodge an attack that's moving faster than you've ever seen." Kiba began his lesson with a bit of humor.

"But what I can do is help you develop the instincts necessary so that you can control yourself as you run." He stretched himself out as he finished his summary of his plan. "Any questions?" He asked his fellow Knight.

Lelouch did some stretches of his own, trying to get loose despite his tiredness. "Yeah, two." He stopped stretching once he felt he was as loose as he could be. "Why did you ask Rias to save my life?" Lelouch had gotten over the fact that Kiba had inadvertently led a Fallen Angel to his former house, as far as he was concerned it was an honest mistake.

It still kind of irritated him, but he wasn't going to hold it against the blond Knight. "And second, how do you plan to teach me these instincts you're talking about?" That was a rather confusing statement considering this was supposed to be a lesson to help him work on his speed control.

Kiba chuckled, getting ready to move. "How bout I answer your second question first." Kiba responded with a grin. "We're gonna race from here back to the old school clubhouse, but the catch is that you have to dodge at least thirty trees before you exit the forest going as fast as you can without getting hurt."

Kiba turned to his friend. "If you get hurt send a spell up in the air and let it burst so I can come get you, I don't want you to try and force yourself back to the clubhouse if you crash full speed into a tree."

Lelouch walked up to Kiba's side and prepared himself to run as fast as he ever had in his life. "And my first question?" He asked, noticing Kiba had dodged it.

"I'll tell you if you beat me in the race." Kiba said playfully. "If I win, you'll have to answer a question or two of my own." He held up one arm as he prepared to start the race. "Is that fair?"

Lelouch chuckled, not minding the little game. He was somewhat sure Kiba would answer his question no matter what, but this did make it interesting. "Sure, why not?" He could use this kind of motivation considering as a human his speed was pitifully weak. As a Devil it had improved thanks to Akeno's training sessions, but he still didn't have full control.

"Good, we start on three." Kiba said as he prepared to let his arm go down as a signal, but before he could count Lelouch took off.

"Hey what the hell man?!" Kiba shouted as he launched himself after Lelouch, quickly catching up to the less experienced Knight. "I said we start on three!" He had to resist a laugh from Lelouch's reply as it would throw off his rhythm.

"You said three so I started!" Lelouch said as he spun around what felt like the tenth tree, but was probably closer to the third this early in the race. His legs were flashing faster than he had ever felt them move and he quickly jumped to the right to dodge another tree and bounced off a fifth, using it as a launching point to get him back on the quickest path to Kuoh's old school buildings.

"If you aren't cheating you aren't trying!" Lelouch quipped with a slight chuckle, as he tried to accelerate away from his friend, nearly stumbling as he realized what he just called Kiba in his mind, before the blond Knight passed him by about two strides.

"Cheaters never prosper." Kiba quipped back, as he passed Lelouch, dodging the tree in front of him and spinning around a seventh as Lelouch stumbled between three trees before accelerating again.

The two of the passed the fifteenth tree soon after, Lelouch hot on Kiba's heels, but just unable to outpace the more experienced Knight. The seventeenth blew past the pair as they split before converging again on the same path. The pattern repeated itself ten more times, each time the pair took opposite sides of a tree to avoid crashing into each other.

' _Damn, this is the longest I've ever run_.' Lelouch thought as he panted, feeling sharp pains in his sides. His lungs felt like they were about to burst. He started to slip further and further behind Kiba, and as the last tree on the edge of the forest Lelouch decided to take a risk. "Fuck it." He breathed and dove forward.

Kiba shouted in surprise as he felt his back bend backwards as Lelouch dove, tackling him to prevent him from crossing the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, Lelouch had forgotten to account for their shared momentum and they continued to roll after they hit the ground until the both left the forest at roughly the same time.

"Sonofabitch!" Kiba cursed loudly. "That hurt you bastard." The blond wheezed as he felt the wind knocked out of him by the landing begin to return.

Lelouch coughed and chuckled quietly, marveling at the soreness in his legs and back. He was _sore_ , but that had been rather fun. "Heh, I had to win somehow." Lelouch felt his heart begin to slow down, his body was beginning to recover quickly.

"That was fun." He didn't think he'd like to do that sort of thing often, but racing Kiba using the speed granted to him by his Knight Evil Piece had been enjoyable. The wind blowing through his hair, the thrill of competition, all of that combined to provide a really fun race against the blond man he now could recognize as his friend.

Spending time with the two he had been closest to before his resurrection had simply made it easier to become friends with them after he had become a Devil. Even if he hadn't spent as much time with Kiba, his easygoing personality and the interesting start to his speed lessons, combined with how he had opened up with Koneko before, made it easier to get closer with Kiba.

"I believe that was a draw." Lelouch offered, taking in some final deep breaths before sitting up to look at Kiba who was still laying on his back as he stared through the leaves, relaxing in the shade.

"I agree." Kiba relented, staring up at the leaves as some began to change color and fall. "How bout we both get our questions answered?" He offered, feeling that was a fair consolation prize since that way they both gained something from this. Kiba wanted to move on to Lelouch's next lesson, he didn't want to have to repeat the race.

"Sure, I go first though." Lelouch laughed lightly before becoming somber, staring off into the distance across campus. "Why did you ask Rias to save my life?" He asked for what he hoped would be the final time. He wanted to move on to this question, but until he got an answer he couldn't move forward.

"You said some last words." Kiba answered to Lelouch's surprise. He hadn't recalled saying anything after getting stabbed. "They convinced me that you didn't deserve to die, so when I called Rias using the flyer I found in your jacket pocket I asked her to save you."

"What did I say that convinced you to save me?" Lelouch's query caused Kiba to close his eyes.

"I don't want to die alone, not again." Kiba quoted Lelouch's final words quietly. He would never forget those words. "Then you cried out for someone named Nunnally." The blond Knight remained silent, letting Lelouch digest what he had told him.

Lelouch felt a sense of numbness overtake his form, not unlike how he felt when he used his Wrath to increase his power. He had no idea he had revealed so much in his final words a few weeks ago. Hell, he hadn't even known he _said_ any last words! "I see." Lelouch responded, not knowing what else to say.

"I haven't told anyone what you said, I promise." Kiba swore, knowing that Lelouch probably felt concerned about that. "I won't even ask about what you truly meant by your first sentence right now, though one of my questions pertains to the last thing you said as a human." Kiba sat up and looked at the man who he called friend.

"My first question, is why have you been able to consider Koneko and I friends after all we've done for you?" Kiba asked, causing Lelouch to turn to him and look at the blond from the corner of his eye.

"We have been nothing but good to you, but Rias told me that you can't seem to let us in. I want to know why." Kiba wanted to help the young man he considered a friend of his. It angered him that Lelouch was unable to feel the same way about them as they did about him.

"The last person I could truly call a friend, before you two, is not with me anymore." Lelouch answered, once again giving a half truth. "It has taken me some time, but I have managed to work through my own issues somewhat." He patted the blond on the shoulder and gave a small grin.

"I honestly consider you and Koneko my friends, the only ones I have here. I mean it." He squeezed Kiba's shoulder before letting go. "Thank you both for not letting me close myself off again." Lelouch was genuinely grateful to have two friends he felt he could trust again.

Suzaku was the last person he could truly call his friend, he hoped that his friendships with Kiba and Koneko would turn out better than that relationship.

Kiba smiled, feeling Lelouch's sincerity for once. The man was one _hell_ of a liar, but when he told the truth he acted like a weight was removed from his heart. It was the greatest tell Kiba had ever noticed in his friend.

"Thanks, Lelouch." He leaned back, balancing on his hands as he straightened out his arms so he could stare up through the leaves without slipping back. "Who is Nunnally, and why did you call out for them as you were dying?" He was curious considering he had never heard Lelouch utter that name before, he wondered why Lelouch would think of them as he breathed his last.

Lelouch took a deep breath, laying back into the grass to stare up at the sky. He closed his eyes, visualizing the sister he had loved so deeply that, when she asked, he gave her the world. "Nunnally, was my little sister." He began with a sad smile. "She is, without a doubt and without exaggeration, the single greatest sister I could have asked for." He opened his eyes, still seeing Nunnally's smiling face in his mind's eye.

"I would have done _anything_ for her." Hell, he _did_ do anything for her back in his world. "She had long sandy brown hair, and beautiful light violet eyes with a smile that could light up a room. She was young, but willing to do whatever she needed to make those around her happy." Lelouch's smile faded slightly as he knew it was that quality that had driven Nunnally to try and use the Damocles as the symbol of the world's hatred.

"All she ever wanted was the world to be a gentler place." Lelouch finished solemnly, his smile fading entirely as he blinked away some tears that threatened to spill over at the thought of Nunnally's dream.

"She sounds wonderful, Lelouch." Kiba said once Lelouch finished, staring in surprise as the sheer joy he had seen on Lelouch's face as he spoke about his younger sister.

"Yeah, she was." Lelouch answered sadly, moving to stand up and prepare to continue with his lesson

"Is she dead?" Kiba asked, as Lelouch's way of referring to her seemed to indicate she wasn't around anymore. He stood as well, preparing to deliver his next set of instructions to Lelouch to continue.

Lelouch shook his head, understanding Kiba's assumption. "No, she's with the last person I could truly call a friend before I arrived in Kuoh." Lelouch knew that Zero would protect Nunnally no matter what, Suzaku would do nothing less than offer his eternal dedication to protect Nunnally in his place.

"Let's move on." Kiba declared, noticing how Lelouch was dodging his questions. Still, he resolved, if he ever met Lelouch's sister, to tell her that he had her brother's back.

Kiba laughed slightly before continuing with Lelouch's speed lesson. It was nice to finally have more guys in the ORC.

Issei and Lelouch weren't very much alike, but Kiba was glad to be able to count the both of them as his friends.

* * *

Kiba chuckled as he watched a limp Lelouch lay on the couch with his head in Koneko's lap as the petite Devil ate one of the donuts Lelouch had made a few days ago. She didn't waste a single crumb, which was good for Lelouch as his head was directly below the baked treat and any crumbs would have hit the dark-haired young man right in his eyes.

"You… are… _evil_." Lelouch groaned in Kiba's direction. "I can't feel my legs you bastard." Kiba's lesson had only gotten _worse_ after the race was over and their talk was finished. Kiba just laughed at his pain.

"Fuck… _you_." He groaned, noticing Koneko's slight smirk as she enjoyed one of many donuts he had made. ' _Not you too_.' Lelouch moaned in his mind.

"Name the time and place." Kiba riposted, causing Koneko to choke and Lelouch to shoot up from her lap in shock, both staring incredulously at the blond Knight. "I don't work for free though, gotta pay up." He couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing as Lelouch pat Koneko on her back to help her choke down her donut.

"Damn you Kiba." Lelouch and Koneko growled together before the blond boy went "Been there done that, I'm a Devil remember?!" Causing the pair to facepalm at the horrible joke Kiba had just subjected them to.

Thankfully for what little sanity Lelouch had remaining, Rias entered the room with a grin. "Kiba, could you go get Issei please?" Rias asked, her excited smile not dropping in the slightest.

"I need you to keep this plan under wraps, but when he goes after the Fallen Angels I want you and Koneko to follow him." She looked at Kiba before he left. "You'll understand if Issei does as I expect, just don't mention any of this to him."

Rias turned her attention to Koneko and Lelouch on the couch. "Now, you two, I have different orders for the two of you." She made her way to the front of her desk and leaned against it, her face shifting from excited to solemn. "Koneko, I want you to back Issei up when he goes after the Fallen Angels, Lelouch." She turned to her second Knight.

"If you're feeling recovered enough from your training with Kiba I want you to come with Akeno and I." She crossed her arms and decided to offer incentive to her Knight so she could see how well his training had paid off the past week or so. "We'll be holding off the rest of the Fallen Angels while Issei storms their base, if you're not up to it Akeno and I can handle it ourselves."

Lelouch considered his options, knowing that he had until Issei arrived to answer. "I'm well enough, besides," a cold smile flickered on his face for a moment. "I want to get my revenge on the Fallen Angel who killed me." Lelouch knew Rias had baited him with the knowledge that they were going after the other Fallen Angels, but he didn't care. He wanted to extract his pound of flesh.

He wanted to kill the one who killed him.

"Excellent, now, one of you will have to tell Akeno to keep quiet if she arrives while Issei and I are talking." Rias ordered, eyeing the door. Kiba would be back any second.

Koneko patted Lelouch on his leg. "I'll tell Akeno, you rest." She said shortly as she finished her donut and reached for another. Koneko knew her friend was exhausted after Kiba's speed training. She didn't want him to get hurt if he went into battle when he wasn't fully rested.

Lelouch smiled and replied with, "Thanks." Just as the door opened and the occupants pretended they hadn't just discussed manipulating Issei into running into Fallen Angel territory.

Lelouch didn't know if Issei could stick to a plan properly so he had no problem with this, especially as it would allow Issei to grow in maturity as he faced down the Fallen Angels to save a girl he cared for beyond mere Lust. At least, that was Lelouch's hope as he sat back to enjoy the show Rias would put on to drive Issei to save Asia.

The slap was a bit unexpected, but Lelouch was intrigued by the possibility that it was possible to be released from a Devil's service. ' _Huh, interesting_.' He'd have to keep that option in mind for the future. And when Rias talked about the unique nature of the Pawn, declaring the Fallen Angel area enemy territory, Lelouch almost smirked. If that wasn't bait to encourage Issei he didn't know what was.

Akeno walked in and Koneko finished off her third donut before going to talk to her. Lelouch couldn't hear the whispered conversation, but Akeno nodded with a small smile. Koneko turned and gave him a nod as she sat down, he responded with a smirk. Looks like Rias had better luck with plans than he did, this one had gone off without a hitch.

Akeno walked up and whispered in her ear. Rias nodded. "Something has come up, Lelouch, Akeno, and I have to step out for a moment." Lelouch nodded in understanding and rose from his position lazing on the couch.

Koneko grabbed his hand before he left. "Careful." She whispered, looking up at him nervously. Lelouch just squeezed back and whispered, "Will be. Promise." Before letting go, he gave her a soft smile.

Koneko had a serious fear of losing those she was close to, so her reaction was understandable. Lelouch just did his best to comfort her the way he would have comforted Nunnally in her position, he would return to his friend alive.

He followed Akeno and Rias to the magic circle Akeno had prepared, Rias ignored Issei's questions and gave him a final warning before they teleported away.

When they arrived at their destination, they were in a forest. Lelouch looked around, getting a feel for his surroundings before he heard the voice of the Fallen Angel who killed him from a tree branch above the trio.

"Ooh, ask and you shall fucking receive." She cursed with giddiness before jumping down to the ground.

Lelouch felt his Wrath _pulse_ as he called out to it, responding almost eagerly as his cold rage spread out from the center of his chest and began to envelop his body. He concealed it from the outside though, focusing on using it to increase his power.

' _It will double soon, and then stop_.' Lelouch was increasing his power far faster than he normally did, but so long as he didn't go beyond double his base power, he wouldn't have much to worry about. He just had to be careful because he normally increased his power carefully, he didn't want to get overwhelmed.

He was having a hard time caring about getting overwhelmed by his Wrath when he was standing in front of the one who killed him. What he wanted to do right now was _rip the bitch who killed him to shreds_! He took a deep breath, calming himself down from that thought. He couldn't allow his Wrath consume him if he wanted to use it successfully.

He had been ignoring the conversation and the new arrivals as he focused solely on his Sin. ' _This is gonna be_ fun!' Lelouch thought to himself as an evil grin split his face for the first time in quite some time. " **Hey, blondie**!" Lelouch drew attention to himself for the first time since they arrived in the forest.

"Who're you callin' blondie you Devil wannabe? The name's Mittelt." The blonde Fallen who Lelouch already marked as dead spoke to him. "Wait, didn't I kill you a while ago? Oh, that's right, you're that weak human who couldn't even see me move!" Mittelt laughed loudly. "You really are a Devil wannabe now! Why did Gremory bring back your useless ass?" She shook her head before unveiling her wings. "That's not important. I may be little, but I can pack a mean punch. I'll just kill you again and be done with this."

" **Rias, you will let me handle her.** " Lelouch ordered, his eyes closed as he capped the power increase he got from his Wrath at a little over double his base strength. His control wasn't good enough to get it to the exact point he wanted.

" **I'm going to _murder her_.** " He announced his ferocious tone striking a spark of fear in the Fallen Angel he was targeting.

And, incidentally, a spark of excitement in Akeno as she beheld his rage in all its glory. ' _Oh my, things are going to be so much more_ fun _with him around_.' She thought to herself as she licked her lips. He was a _natural_ sadist, she could tell. ' _How exciting_!' She thought to herself, giggling.

Lelouch's Devil wings flared and he took off, eyes still closed, tackling Mittelt into a different area of the forest. He left the other two to the hands of Rias and Akeno, they were stronger than him, they could handle themselves.

He wanted to handle the one who killed him alone.

"Ha, look at you!" Mittelt taunted him. "You're so scared you can't even open your eyes!"

Lelouch grinned madly, before revealing his **Power of the King**. " **Who's afraid now?** " Lelouch responded with a growl in his voice, crimson eyes flashing as his Wrath brought his power to its current peak. He felt the Sin pressing down on his mind, urging him to slaughter everything around him, but he maintained control for now. And all that Wrath was focused solely on the Fallen Angel before him. He chuckled darkly. " **The only one who needs to see what I'm going to do to you… _is me_.** " He whispered, allowing his power to manifest in the air around him.

" **The name is Lelouch vi Britannia, Knight of Rias Gremory, and _your death_.** " He declared as a twisting cloud of Void energy flashed around Lelouch's body in an explosion before coalescing around his right arm to his confusion. He had been planning on using an aura of power to boost his spells and protect him somewhat from his enemy's attacks, not whatever this was.

The dark energy formed into a gauntlet that he had never seen before around his right arm.

It had segmented plate armor with an obsidian gem on the back of the hand, the fingertips were curved like claws, and it went up to about his elbow. It kind of reminded Lelouch of a dark version of Issei's Sacred Gear only less draconic.

He flexed his hand, noting how it felt like a second skin, only more numb. So, this was what happened when he unleashed his power fully instead of keeping it internalized to use spells and increase his overall durability. Interesting. He had expected something more similar to what happened to Akeno, not this strange result. Still, it's not like he couldn't use this.

The Wrathful Knight decided to experiment with the unwilling test subject before him.

Lelouch pointed at the blonde soon to be corpse in front of him with his newly clawed hand, who was still frozen in fear. " **Void Shot**." He ordered his attack and it blasted forward far faster and at far less of a cost than he remembered.

The dark gauntlet launched the sphere of Void like a bullet and the Fallen Angel could only just jump out of the way, though she didn't escape perfectly.

"My hair!" The Fallen Angel shrieked as he severed one of her ponytails. "You'll pay for that wannabe Devil!" She took off, manifesting a light spear before thrusting forward. Lelouch dodged the telegraphed strike using his Knight's speed and spun around, using his sharp claws to slash down the blonde's back, carving five deep cuts through her skin.

She screamed in pain and Lelouch jumped back, dodging her spinning slash as she twisted around to retaliate, but he still wasn't used to his strength and his jump ended up forcing him back into a tree, back first. He grunted in pain, before holding up his gauntlet again. " **Negate**." His shield blocked the thrown light spear far easier than Lelouch had expected, not costing any more than ten percent of his energy to block.

He could almost _feel_ his power growing as a result of this battle.

After he allowed the shield to fade, he charged the Fallen Angel again, using his wings to take him off the ground as she rose in the air to try and dodge. He flew up into the air, tracking her as she fled through the sky. It took ten minutes before he saw an opening after she hit a red barrier that prevented her from going any further. Her distraction cost her.

Mittelt shuddered in pain, having stopped for a moment to try to break the strange red barrier in front of her and escape from the terrifying Knight attacking her.

She noticed she failed, and the blonde looked down to see the gauntlet exiting the center of her chest. The instant she hesitated, he had stabbed her straight through her back with his claws. Almost his entire forearm had pierced through her sternum.

" **Remember this? This is almost the exact spot where you stabbed _me_.** " Lelouch purred behind her as he flexed his armored arm, crimson eyes flashing with sadistic glee as he caused her serious pain with his movement.

She coughed up some blood as a result of his torture before Lelouch yanked out his gauntlet, grabbing the blonde by the back of her neck and throwing her into the distance. He flapped his wings, taking off leisurely in the direction he had thrown her. His wings were tired after chasing that blonde bitch for so long through the sky.

Akeno had usually taken him out by now in their spars if he took to the skies.

The obsidian gem on the back of his hand absorbed the blood that coated the gauntlet, eagerly drinking in the power held in the Fallen Angel's blood. Lelouch noticed only a few drops had slipped past it, raining down into the forest, and the obsidian orb flashed violet a few times.

' _Hm, strange_.' Lelouch thought to himself, feeling some power flow into him from the gauntlet to replenish the small amount of energy he lost during the battle. He began to let his Wrath fade, feeling satisfied with his vengeance as he neared the position he had thrown the Fallen Angel. She landed near her allies coincidentally, distracting them from trying to break out of the barrier Rias and Akeno set up.

"I'm pretty sure Issei and the rest will be done by now." He declared, landing just behind the King and Queen pair. "We should probably head out to help soon, just in case." He suggested, looking at Rias with some satisfaction shining in his crimson eyes. "We're done here." He flexed his fingers, feeling strange with the armor that his Wrath had created.

"What did you do to Mittelt?!" The dark-haired woman screamed at Lelouch who just gave a satisfied grin.

"Exactly what I said I'd do." He replied with a dark chuckle. "I _murdered her_." Vengeance felt so good. The blonde squeaked in fear at his laugh, coughing and trying to move. But her body wasn't responding to her commands. Lelouch could tell she was suffering as he had and he _relished_ in it.

Akeno looked at Mittelt and then back to Lelouch with a blush. "Oh my." She murmured delicately, savoring the remnants of his Wrath that she could sense wafting from his form. "You are absolutely _vicious_ you know that?" She looked at the results of his attack on Mittelt and whimpered slightly in admiration. ' _How can he hold so much Wrath inside of him_?' She wondered in awe, she could still feel his Wrath coiled under the surface of his soul. Just _waiting_ to be unleashed upon his unsuspecting enemy.

Her priestess uniform was suddenly feeling uncomfortably tight around certain areas of her body before she forced herself to calm down. ' _No, bad girl_.' She bit her lip as she realized she shouldn't have thought that to herself, the images that thought had conjured up were a serious distraction.

Akeno shook her head and continued with the line of thought she had before she had gotten distracted. ' _No jumping his bones just because his sadism gets you hot, you're not some two-bit slut_.' She had standards, but Lelouch had just jumped on her list of people she wanted to get to know. And not as just friends.

The Queen hoped she wasn't too late, Lelouch and Koneko were already rather close after all from what she had seen.

Rias was far less distracted than her Queen when she looked in surprise after she noticed the Knight land beside her, revealing his right arm. Lelouch had a Sacred Gear?! No, the more she looked at it the more Rias could tell it wasn't a Sacred Gear.

Sacred Gears had a hint of the presence of the Biblical God in them as He was the one who created the Sacred Gears in the first place. This gauntlet, no matter how much it reminded her of one, was not a Sacred Gear. Still, it was rather strange that her Knight would have such an odd power.

Still, at least she knew exactly the title to give him now. The black armor made it far too easy. "My Black Knight has eliminated your ally, now it's your turn." She declared, flaring her **Power of Destruction** as she turned to the two Fallen Angels who had been insulting her Peerage while they attempted to escape. "This is for insulting my servants!" She blasted the Fallen Angels with her spell, obliterating them save for their feathers that fell slowly to the earth after their bodies were consumed by her spell.

Their enemies were no longer capable of blocking their path to Issei and the rest of her Peerage. Her spell easily ended the two remaining Fallen Angels' lives and with Mittelt either already dead or near death there was little point for her to use the **Power of Destruction** on the petite blonde's body.

"Let's go." Rias ordered, Akeno preparing the portal to take them to the Fallen Angel's base. Rias stepped in, but not before picking up a handful of feathers for some reason. Lelouch stepped in as well, allowing his gauntlet to remain as he felt his energy restored back to its normal levels. Though it had apparently increased by a little over double what it was originally thanks to the battle boosting his overall strength.

He stared at his gauntlet as he wondered what to call it. Perhaps, something related to what Rias had called him. Black Knight, that almost drew a chuckle out of Lelouch. ' _Arm of the Blackest Knight_.' He decided, it didn't sound too bad and it had a couple different meanings depending on how someone heard it.

Battle truly was a good way for Devils to gain strength. Lelouch smirked, he now had three spells aside from his **Power of the King** , which he planned to use sparingly to maintain control over it. He was glad he now had a little more versatility than before. Lelouch had a mid to long-range attack, a shield to protect himself, and now a short-range attack that increased both his shield spell's efficiency and the power behind his mid to long range attack with less of an energy cost.

Despite only having three spells to use for general combat, Lelouch was satisfied.

He could work with this.

* * *

After they arrived at the Fallen Angel's base, Lelouch noticed a figure flying out of the window with a scream. "Lelouch, if she tries to escape, you handle her." Rias ordered, dropping him off out in the front of the church. "Akeno and I are going inside to check on Issei, Kiba, and Koneko."

Almost as soon as she said that, the ground a little ways from the entrance burst through the air, revealing the somewhat scruffy form of Koneko covered in a light coating of dust. "Well, Issei and Kiba then." Rias felt her lip curve in amusement as she watched Koneko mutter about the dirt covering her body as she and Akeno were teleported into the church.

"I feel dirty." The Nekoshou muttered in an annoyed tone, checking out her surroundings. Her face lit up slightly when she saw Lelouch, noticing the fading red light of one of Akeno's portals.

"Hey Koneko." Lelouch waved with his right arm, immediately drawing the petite Devil's attention. "How's Kiba?" He was curious since he couldn't see the blond Devil behind her as she escaped.

He noticed the twitching of the Fallen Angel as she tried to take flight. The Black Knight raised his arm and shot her with his spell, knocking her back out cold for now.

"Kiba's fine, dealing with the stubborn ones." Koneko answered as she walked up to his side, poking his right arm after he shot Raynare. "What's this?" She asked, dragging her finger along the strange armored plates.

"I have no idea." Lelouch answered honestly, stomping on one of the Fallen Angel's wings to keep her from leaving, the two of them ignoring her scream of pain. And his casual expression of sadism as he shot the back of her head again after grinding his heel into her wing.

He lifted his arm away from Koneko, as she kept poking it even as he shot off his spell. "Knock that off will you? It kind of tickles." His arm felt numb, but Koneko's insistent poking was letting a featherlight sensation get through. It felt strange. "Why'd Kiba send you up here?"

"Sorry, just curious." She said, and Lelouch had no doubt if her features were showing her tail would be swaying as her eyes tracked his arm regardless of how he lifted it out of her reach. "Wanted an escape route, cave in." Koneko replied to his question shortly, summing up her reason for coming up through the ground succinctly.

"You can come in now." Akeno's voice sounded from the wall. "If the two of you are done with your flirting Rias wants to handle Raynare in front of Issei." The pair looked to the door and noticed Akeno leaning against it in a relaxed stance.

"We're not flirting." The two of them deadpanned in perfect synchronization, causing Akeno to laugh before teleporting back somewhere. "She enjoys that way too much I think." Lelouch let out a suffering sigh, Koneko did the same. He looked at the white-haired Devil out of the corner of his eye.

"You want to or should I?" He asked before noticing her small grin. For some reason it reminded him of something.

When Koneko broke the church door down and dragged the Fallen Angel in by the wing he had been stomping on, he realized what made that familiar. ' _Huh, Koneko can be quite vicious if she wants_.' He meandered towards the door, but on the footsteps of the church felt a splitting headache course through his mind before dissipating almost immediately.

' _What the hell was that_?!' He had felt like he was split in two for a moment there. As he looked at the doorway and felt a strong sense of foreboding, but when he walked in nothing happened.

' _I almost expected to burst into flames just walking in here_.' Lelouch's ominous feelings disappeared almost immediately after he had entered the church. ' _Strange_.' He let the gauntlet vanish for now, knowing that he no longer had to lift a finger to deal with this situation. He walked up next to Koneko who was observing the conversation with mild disinterest.

"Are all Devils as dramatic as Rias?" Lelouch asked somewhat hypocritically, noticing how Rias toyed with the Fallen Angel, dropping the feathers of her allies that the three of them had killed in the forest.

"It depends, mostly yes." Koneko deadpanned. "It's partly cause she's the heir, but also because I think she likes messing with everyone." Her response elicited a chuckle from her friend who nodded in agreement.

"She killed them?" Issei asked, somewhat surprised.

"Two of them, I got the one who killed me." Lelouch cut in, not wanting to let Rias take the credit for his kill. He couldn't hold back a sadistic grin though. "It was _fun_." He chuckled, drawing a nervous look from Issei.

"What'd you do to them?" The perverted boy asked nervously.

Lelouch held up his right arm, deciding against revealing his gauntlet for now. "I murdered her essentially the same way she killed me." He answered with a grin, making Issei pale at his choice of words.

"Couldn't you have just said kill?" The brunette whined almost pitifully.

"I could, but that wouldn't do my brutality justice." Lelouch replied dryly, his grin not fading in the slightest.

"Anyway," Kiba cut in, preventing Lelouch from screwing with Issei's head any further. Honestly, he was acting just like Akeno. "Rias' titles are Princess of Ruin and Empress of Annihilation, they're not just pretty words. She really does live up to those titles."

"Wow." Issei had switched rather quickly from being grossed out to impressed. "I didn't know I was part of such an awesome group. So hardcore."

Lelouch pressed his palm to his forehead, dragging it down his face in exasperation. "So when I do something brutal it's disgusting, but when Rias does it it's hot?" He looked at Koneko who looked bored out of her mind as she walked off away from Issei after his comment. He followed, not really wanting to associate with the pervert after that comment. "How exactly does that work in his mind?" He asked rhetorically as he leaned against a pillar, with Koneko settling in against his legs and leaning against his shins.

The petite Nekoshou looked up at him from her sitting position at his feet, legs crossed in front of her as they settled in to watch the show that was Rias tormenting the Fallen Angel. She gestured outward from her chest with her hands and replied using just two words. "Big tits."

That response drew a snort from Lelouch as he tried to hold back his laughter. He covered his mouth with his hand as he tried and failed to block a number of snickers from escaping. Koneko had never said anything remotely like that before. It was funny to hear something like that out of the taciturn girl he counted as a friend.

He was thankful for the distance he and Koneko had put between themselves and Kiba and Issei, as there would be no way they wouldn't have heard Koneko's answer otherwise. He didn't want to hear Issei go off on a rant about the glory of breasts again. Lelouch had enough of that back when he was a human.

The Knight and Rook pair watched on, feeling mildly exasperated. "I swear, this is all so long-winded." Lelouch murmured, well aware of the hypocrisy of that statement and not giving a damn. "Just kill her and be done with it already." Koneko nodded silently, her head smacking against his knee once.

He winced slightly before blinking in surprise. ' _Damn, so her Rook strength even applies to her_ head?!' No wonder he had felt her poking his arm through his gauntlet. He made a mental note to handle casual contact carefully from now on.

He was somewhat interested in the description of Issei's Sacred Gear. Longinus, he was pretty sure he had seen that name somewhere when he was researching this world's history. It appeared Issei truly was gifted based on the description of the Sacred Gear Rias gave to Raynare. ' _Surpass God and Satan, huh_.' Lelouch considered curiously. He wondered if Issei would ever reach that level, but he knew that Issei had a _long_ way to go before reaching that highest peak and truly mastered the power of the Red Dragon Emperor.

Lelouch and Koneko narrowed their eyes at the Fallen Angel as she transformed into the girl Lelouch had seen in the picture the night of his and Issei's induction. "What a coward." He snarled in anger, noting the look of despair and betrayal in Issei's face.

He pat Koneko on the head slightly, ignoring her slight flinch. "Move Koneko, I need to teach her a lesson about manipulating people's minds." Koneko stood up and walked over to Kiba and Issei, while Lelouch made his way in front of the Fallen Angel in disguise.

"W-What are you going to do to me?" Her fake voice trembled quietly, Lelouch ignored it as he closed his eyes and allowed his **Power of the King** to flare. It was already active, all he had to do was flex it so that it would register as a spell in his mind.

" **I'm going to make you _suffer_ , Fallen Angel**." Lelouch spoke, opening his eyes for the last three words, knowing that his power would force her to register them as a **Command**. It took more energy than he had to use in past Contracts, likely because Fallen Angels had far higher magical resistance than humans. He ignored the dip in his reserves, focusing entirely on the **Command** overriding the will of Raynare, forcing her mind to obey his order against its will.

A dark, _corrupted_ power blasted around the Fallen Angel, revealing her true form once more as she _screamed_.

"What did you do to her?" Rias asked curiously, ignoring the tortured screams of the Fallen Angel before her. This was not what she had planned, but she didn't mind this turn of events. Raynare was already going to die for that little stunt, it was only a matter of how quick she chose to make it.

Lelouch took a deep breath and allowed his power to fade back, leaving his eyes crimson as he looked back at Rias. "I made her suffer." He answered simply, his eyes reverting to violet, taking in the faces of Rias' Peerage. Issei looked conflicted, Koneko looked interested and curious, Kiba looked uneasy, but wasn't too unnerved. Good, he was glad his two friends weren't scared of his power.

"How exactly?" The question came not from Rias, but Issei. That wasn't what Lelouch was expecting. "How did you make her suffer with just that sentence?" The boy was shaking.

"Our own minds can force us to suffer far worse than any other individual on the planet." Lelouch answered simply. "I simply _encouraged_ her mind to do so." He walked to the rest of the Peerage save Akeno. He pat Issei on the shoulder. "Go, get some closure." He whispered, standing beside Koneko as he turned to watch Issei walk up close to the twitching form of Raynare.

' _So, unless I keep the power active for those with high magical resistance the effect can be overcome with enough willpower_.' Lelouch observed as the Fallen Angel turned onto her stomach and pushed herself up, reaching up to grasp Issei's pants.

"Please, don't let them kill me." She begged, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Koneko, ready?" Kiba asked, before Lelouch put a hand on his shoulder. "Lelouch?" The blond questioned his fellow Knight.

"Issei needs to deal with this on his own." He answered his friend with a shake of his head. "He needs to understand he holds her life in his hands, this decision will prove whether he is capable of moving forward with his life after his death as a human." Lelouch had a feeling that if Issei didn't handle this now, it would only grow into a greater problem in the future.

If Issei could allow Rias to kill the Fallen Angel, or, better yet, deal the final blow himself, then the boy would be able to move forward with his life. This Fallen Angel was responsible for everything that had happened to Issei at this point in his life after he was killed for the first time, if he could sever this last chain to his past, he could move into the future without regrets.

For a moment, Issei almost looked like he was going to listen before she started spouting nonsense about how she had enjoyed their date and his face hardened. "Shut up." He mumbled, shaking as he tried to deal with the emotional torment roiling around inside of him. "I don't buy it." He whispered as he walked away, ignoring the sounds of begging from behind him. He stood next to Rias and requested, "Rias, please." He shuddered. "I can't do this." He walked back to the two Knights and Rook, looking to Lelouch to see if he had done the wrong thing.

Lelouch looked at Issei, feeling a sense of… _respect_ almost. He reached out and grabbed the brunette's shoulder. "Good job." He whispered encouragingly. "I imagine that was tough."

Issei shuddered in agreement. "Yeah." His voice choked lightly. "It was." He looked over his shoulder for a moment before turning his attention to Lelouch with a weak smile. "Thank you, I think I needed that."

Lelouch returned his smile with a small one of his own, letting him go as he watched Rias finish her off. "Watch Issei, with this you'll be able to move on." The boy turned around and Lelouch finished his statement. "With this, you'll be able to move forward into your future." And it was the future, Lelouch believed, that made life worth living.

Rias looked at her two newest Pieces, smiling at the friendship she felt she could see forming between them before she turned her attention to the disguised Raynare. Her raging glare struck fear in the black heart of the Fallen Angel before her. "You've toyed with my servant's emotions for the _last time_." She summoned her birthright and obliterated the Fallen Angel Raynare from the face of the world.

Rias turned her attention to her Peerage with a smile. "It's over, Issei." She said as she was framed by the falling black feathers. "You can move on now." He gave a weak smile back to her before looking up in surprise. Rias did the same and noticed the Sacred Gear Raynare had stolen was slowly descending from the sky.

Rias raised her hands, cupping the Sacred Gear. "These are beautiful." She noted with some pride. "Shall we return them?" The Gremory heir made her way towards the body of a blonde Lelouch hadn't noticed before.

The girl was laying on a pew, clearly no longer alive to his experienced eyes. "The Sacred Gear won't be enough." He murmured, drawing Koneko's attention while the rest were paying attention to Issei gently returning the mystical power to the young blonde girl he assumed was Asia.

His prediction was proven to be correct as it wasn't enough to bring Asia back to life. The rings had been slipped on, but she refused to awaken from her death.

Issei apologized to the poor girl and to them for his failure. Lelouch maintained a respectful silence alongside Rias, Kiba, and Koneko before Rias spoke, telling Issei he had no need for forgiveness. Then, she did something Lelouch probably should have seen coming, but still didn't expect. She pulled out a Bishop, a single White Bishop.

"You're going to resurrect her as your Bishop, aren't you?" Lelouch caught on before she could go any further.

Akeno teleported in behind Rias, back in her uniform and out of her strange priestess outfit. "Well, we do need a healer to put our ragtag team back together, now don't we?" She asked with a giggle.

"What does that mean?" Issei asked, confused by Akeno's statement.

Rias looked at the small chess piece in her hand and smiled softly. "The Bishop's position of power is to protect and heal the other Devils in the household." She looked at Issei whose hope was shining in his eyes. "Perhaps the timing is just right for me to add another member to my Peerage." Her smile shifted slightly into a smirk. "I could use a good Clergyman."

She directed Akeno to move the girl's body to the floor and she began her preparation, holding the Evil Piece between her thumb and index finger. "Our good sister is about to be born again into the Underworld." Lelouch snickered for a second at the born again joke, finding it funnier than he probably should have.

Rias placed the Evil Piece in Asia's hands and manipulated them so that they were clasped, as if in prayer before beginning her chant. A magic circle appeared beneath the blonde and Rias' voice echoed with power.

"In the name of Rias Gremory, I call to the spirit of Asia Argento, hear my command. Return thine soul from the Shadows of Death to the Human Realm. Rise once more as my Devil servant! Rejoice, for you have been given new life. Wake as my Healer and Clergyman!" The Bishop Evil Piece dissolved into Asia's chest as Rias finished with a shout. Her magical power flared, flowing into the body of Asia, resurrecting her as the newest member of her Peerage.

"What now?" Issei asked impatiently. "Is she gonna wake up?"

Rias smiled at his enthusiasm. "Just wait a moment." Suddenly, the Sacred Gear that Asia held inside her soul flared with a green energy. The healing magic felt almost soothing, Lelouch noticed as he sensed it before it faded into her body. Her breathing was rough as she coughed before she opened her eyes, staring at the group.

"Huh?" Asia reacted with confusion, ignoring Issei's reaction of wonder at her resurrection. She held up the broken strap of her dress. She didn't want to expose herself in front of so many strangers. She turned to face Issei and a red-headed woman with really long hair.

"From now on, you are her protector." Rias ordered Issei, as Asia reacted with surprise at the statement. Her gasp was quiet, still not used to being alive again after _knowing_ she had died. "You are the senior Devil after all." Now that statement caused a sense of shock to flow through the young blonde.

"Issei, um, what's going on?" Her weak voice stammered out, gasping in surprise as Issei wrapped her in a tight hug and began to cry tears of joy.

Lelouch watched from his position between Kiba and Koneko, smiling along with them at the tender scene. ' _Perhaps… Issei isn't_ entirely _hopeless_.' Lelouch thought to himself.

Lelouch felt a sense of contentment watching the young boy react with such obvious joy. He ignored the bitter flash of jealousy, and the accompanying images of pink and burnt orange hair with warm, kind faces.

This was Issei's moment, there was no place for him to be wondering about things that couldn't be changed.

* * *

Deep in the forest, a portal opened revealing the body of a young girl. The animals in the area could immediately sense the presence of _danger_ as clear as the moonlight above and fled for their lives. All manner of living creatures fled the presence of this being, leaving only it and the body of a Fallen Angel who had been pierced through her sternum. The being sniffed the air for a moment, and held up its hand, as though it were calling for something.

Three drops of blood flew from the depths of the forest to hover before the young girl's grey eyes, before disintegrating into black specks of Void. The being in the form of a young girl narrowed its eyes, directing its attention to the body in the clearing. It slowly made its way over, noting the body's choice of clothing with mild curiosity.

As its body had no clothing of its own, it decided to mimic the Fallen Angel before it. It was somewhat chilly in this world, so unlike its home where the conditions were always as it wished. Barring one rather large crimson annoyance. Once the body it had chosen was dressed, it decided that this felt better than going without.

' _I think I'm going to keep this_.' The Dragon of Infinity decided for, currently, herself after making a few adjustments to the outfit she had selected for herself. After ensuring her own comfort, she directed her attention towards the body before her. She held her hand over the body, drawing out the energy she could sense from the corpse before her. Obsidian energy representing the concept of "eternal consumption to fill its endless emptiness" flowed from the hole in the blonde's chest up towards her extended palm.

Once all the residual energy that was present had been drawn out of the body, she turned her palm over and held the miniscule sphere that held a portion of her power before her. After she finished analyzing it, she popped the small sphere of Void into her mouth and swallowed, reabsorbing the energy back into herself. She tasted the presence of _Devil_ and another taste she had no name for, but knew all the same. She had been the one to drag that power into this world after all.

She allowed multiple snakes to form from underneath her new dress and devour the body before her, gaining a little bit more energy from the sacrifice of the Fallen Angel's corpse, but her attention was focused on the familiar, yet unnamed taste she sensed in the energy she had consumed.

"So." She spoke aloud to no one, testing out her new voice. "My experiment _was_ a success." She felt some annoyance before allowing it to fade. She didn't like being wrong, especially about one of her many efforts bearing fruit when she thought it had been a failure.

Ophis frowned in confusion, looking up to the sky questioningly. "Demon Emperor, where are you?" The Dragon God wanted to know where the one she had gifted with some of her power in one of many attempts to rid herself of Great Red had gone off to.

And what a Dragon wanted, a Dragon got. No matter how long it took.

* * *

 **I hope you have enjoyed the chapter.**

 **I'll try to get out one last chapter by next weekend, but it's the weekend when I'm heading back to school so I can't make any promises. When I'm back in classes I won't be able to do nearly as much as I have during this break.**

 **Good news: I have no classes on Friday this semester so I'll have a three-day weekend. If I have any free time I'll do my best to work on my two stories and update when I get the chance. But I won't update a chapter I feel doesn't fit my standards. I won't give you guys a crappy chapter for the sake of updating.**

 **Bad news: I'm taking five classes this spring, four on campus, one online. I'll have to deal with a lot of homework so I will not be able to dedicate much time to both my stories meaning my updates will drop off sharply.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	6. Chapter 6: Familiars Breed Companionship

**I know it's tradition for a birthday gift to be received rather than given, but I figured everyone deserved a gift from me for being so patient. I'm sorry it took me so long and I just want to say thank you for sticking with me as I deal with the hectic nature of college life.**

 **I can't promise a new chapter soon, but I will do my best to have another one out as soon as I can. I'll probably write more by the end of April in order to distract myself from looming finals, but I think I will have the next one out in May.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

The first Arc (Chapters 1-5) titled The Fallen is now officially over. This next Arc will titled The Growth.

I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the new story Arc.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Familiars Breed Companionship**

* * *

A few weeks after Asia's resurrection and welcome party, Lelouch grumbled in annoyance quietly, waiting for Koneko to make her next move. "I can't believe you all." He had thought his "Grandmaster" comment had been forgotten back when they were facing the first Stray, but apparently it had just taken Asia asking an innocent question about learning chess the day before to remind Rias and she decided to schedule an impromptu chess tournament with the ORC.

On the weekend. A weekend he had been planning on doing absolutely nothing except relaxing, exceptions included cooking for Koneko but that he didn't mind since it was rather relaxing in its own way. He had been feeling a little burned out from training almost continuously for almost a month now. He was looking forward to his weekend break and just spending time relaxing at home with Koneko.

Now though, now he had to actually pay attention because some of Rias' Peerage was actually rather good at playing chess. Koneko was actually his fourth opponent, and she had surprised him. After her, unless he lost, he still had to play Akeno and then Rias. He was too proud to quit or play at less than his best.

His reputation of having only lost to one person was on the line here and he wasn't going to sacrifice it dammit! No matter how exhausted he was.

He allowed each of them to play White, being far too used to playing Black as it was his preference.

Asia had gone first and he went easy on her for the sake of teaching her, but eventually she was Checkmated rather easily. She was sitting on the couch behind Koneko, watching as he taught her by showing what a Grandmaster could do.

Issei had gone next and Lelouch had managed to Fool's Check him. The boy really hadn't been kidding about sucking at chess. The last person Lelouch could remember using that on had been some minor noble back in his world in Area Eleven.

Kiba had been an interesting opponent, but Lelouch had beaten him all the same. His intriguing, fast paced strategy had been no match for Lelouch's experience.

Koneko was by far the most interesting opponent for him. She started aggressively before retreating and setting up a defensive strategy that was almost in complete contrast to her initial moves. And then she started taking shots when she could, targeting his higher pieces at the expense of leaving his Pawns alone.

At this moment though, Koneko had fallen into one of his traps. He had used one of his higher Pieces as bait to draw her attention and now had a Pawn all set to promote with no way for her to take it out before that happened. There were potential opportunities for her to delay his Pawn's promotion, but he wanted to see if she could spot them on her own. They were hidden opportunities after all, opportunities he only saw because he knew his own strategy.

Koneko decided to set up her next move to try and trap what she assumed would be a Queen after his Pawn promoted and Lelouch smiled. He moved his Knight instead of promoting his Pawn. The Nekoshou's eyes widened slightly, having not expected him to move a Knight rather than promote his Pawn.

Thing was, he didn't need his promotion anymore. "Checkmate." He announced quietly, surprising Koneko.

"How?" She demanded skeptically, not seeing what he was referring to.

Lelouch tapped his finger on the head of his Knight. "This covers," Lelouch tapped a few different squares. "Here, here, here, and here." Then he gestured to a few more pieces, revealing the trap he had set.

Koneko's King was trapped between his other Knight, a few Pawns, his Bishop, as well as his own King, which he had been steadily using more and more as he whittled away her pieces that could be a threat to it. Her own pieces provided the rest of the trap, preventing her King from moving out of Check.

Koneko hummed in thought. "Fine, you win." She took a few of the cookies from the plate on the table and sat next to him on the couch, ignoring him in favor of the sweets he had made for this little tournament while he reset the game board.

"Really good." Koneko murmured, using her fingers to wipe any crumbs around her lips into her mouth.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone here can beat you." Asia said in awe.

Lelouch and Kiba snickered slightly. "She was talking about the cookies I made Asia." Lelouch responded to Asia's compliment dryly. "But thank you, it does help to know that my skills have not diminished over the years."

Rias looked away from her conversation with Issei regarding increasing his last few Pacts towards Lelouch at that comment. "You mean you haven't played chess in years and you're still this good?" She was genuinely surprised.

Lelouch did a quick calculation in his head. "Well, at most it's been about two years, but I can't be sure." How exactly should he calculate the fact he was about two years younger than he should be? And the fact that the last time he truly played had been that little game in the Chinese Federation against Schneizel that technically ended in a draw before his brother broke the rules.

The King cannot place itself in Checkmate and Schneizel had done that to see what kind of man Zero was. And he had fallen for that trap hook line and sinker.

"That's impressive." Rias commented before returning to her discussion with Issei. Akeno had allowed him a little break, which was why he had been planning to enjoy the weekend before this whole thing happened.

Issei left and Akeno was still nowhere to be found. Lelouch stood up and stretched out his back. He had been sitting for about an hour. "If Akeno isn't gonna show, I'm gonna head home and try to enjoy the rest of my weekend." He announced his intentions, noting the somewhat disappointed look on Asia's face.

"If you want I can teach you more about chess another time Asia, it's not like you won't be spending time with all of us after all." Her soft voice responded with a quiet "Okay" and Lelouch turned to Koneko. "Wanna head home?" He asked, at her nod he waved goodbye to Rias and Kiba as he opened the door and the two of them left.

"Oh wait, those two live together?" The voice of Asia was the last thing the two of them heard. Lelouch and Koneko shared a look, a small giggle escaping the Nekoshou's lips now that they were alone. Lelouch just shook his head in amusement.

He pulled out his new phone and noted the number calling him. "Hello?" The Knight answered, ignoring Koneko's questioning look. "Really? Great." He responded to the individual on the other end of the phone. "How long until it's all done?" He asked, frowning at the reply. "A month or two?" He sighed in dissatisfaction. "Fine, just finish up by December. I don't want to pay for any longer than that." He hung up, ignoring the platitudes offered by the person on the other end.

"What was that about?" Koneko asked curiously.

"Nothing you need to worry about, promise." Lelouch placated Koneko without responding to her question. "What do you want to do when we get home?" He redirected the conversation, hoping she would suggest something that wouldn't involve too much effort.

The Knight and Rook pair walked in a comfortable silence before Koneko made her decision. "Movie marathon." Koneko announced simply with all the authority of a King.

Lelouch just chuckled and nodded in agreement. It felt like forever since he had taken a break from training. "A movie marathon sounds perfect." He replied quietly before they continued their walk in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"Familiars?" Lelouch asked curiously a few days later as he packed up his backpack with supplies. That was one of very few topics his lessons with Akeno hadn't managed to cover mainly because Lelouch was far more concerned with increasing his power. She had once told him that intelligence meant nothing in the face of pure might and after his first lesson he did not doubt her any further.

All of his strategies had been completely worthless as she literally blew away anything he threw at her. As a result, he had decided to hold off any plans he had until he had a sufficient amount of power alone to do whatever he chose to do as a Devil. There wasn't any sense in planning for anything when he didn't have the power to accomplish what he wanted to do.

It was a little disorienting to not have a purpose driving him like back in his home world, but he had gotten used to it over the course of a few months as a normal student. After a few weeks as a Devil, he managed to regain that perspective. As far as he was concerned, a wait and see approach towards everything would be the best option so he didn't end up putting himself at odds with anyone he couldn't handle on his own.

"Familiars are a little like pets, only more useful due to their supernatural aspects." Koneko waltzed through the living room and plopping herself down on his bed, dressed rather lightly in a white kimono top and her short school skirt having gotten out of the shower a little while ago. She didn't want to wait longer than absolutely necessary for the sweets he had prepared so her hair was still a little wet as she munched on one of his brownies.

Koneko's features were on full display as she had begun to do while she was home alone with Lelouch. Before she had taken him in, she used to wander around her home with her ears and tail exposed without issue, but she had gotten into the habit of hiding her true appearance like she hid her true self, whenever there were other individuals around. So when Lelouch had moved in, her conditioning had kicked in and she hid herself out of sheer habit.

But after their talk the other week, she made an effort to let down her guard when she was at home, even if Lelouch was there with her. She still hid herself habitually sometimes unless Lelouch pointed it out. He had offered his help to break that habit of hers and she accepted.

She usually allowed her true appearance and true self to show now, but only when the two of them were alone. Koneko still didn't feel comfortable acting like she did at home in front of the others.

She finished up her brownie and cupped her hands, a magic circle shining for a moment which drew Lelouch's attention. An adorable white kitten appeared in her hands and Koneko lifted her up so she could get a good look at her best friend. "This is Shiro." Koneko said with a small smile, looking up at her friend's surprised face. Her tail was waving side to side. "She's my Familiar." Lelouch held out his hands and she carefully placed Shiro in his hands.

Lelouch carefully held the kitten against his chest, feeling the purring rumble against his chest. He scratched behind the little one's ear, causing its left back foot to twitch slightly drawing a laugh out of him and a giggle out of Koneko. When he stopped, the kitten waved its paws towards his face and she mewed desperately so he returned to his ministrations.

He sat down next to his nearly packed backpack and Koneko, who was teasing the little kitten by scratching her chin while Lelouch scratched her ear. Eventually Koneko could tell she had enough, especially when Shiro shook her head to get the pair to stop touching her. "Here, let me." She reached over and picked up her Familiar, the magic circle returning it to the Familiar world.

"When we go to the Familiar world in a few days you'll be able to make a Contract with one of the creatures there." Koneko smiled as she looked up at her friend excitedly. "Familiars are sometimes used for companionship, but they can also be used to gather information and other tasks." She tilted her head curiously in a distinctly cat-like action. "Do you know what kind of Familiar you want to get?" Her tail curled and her ears were twitching slightly, revealing her curiosity further.

"Not a clue." Lelouch admitted wryly, causing Koneko's ears and tail to droop slightly as he didn't satisfy her curiosity in the slightest. "I'll just see what comes to me."

Koneko giggled slightly at the unintentional joke before moving on.

"We need to meet up so that Issei and Asia can get their Familiars too." Koneko said, her mood deteriorating almost immediately at the thought of the pervert. "Finish packing up and we can head out." She made her way upstairs to get herself dressed in her school uniform.

In a rare turn of events, she was actually the last one ready to head out. Koneko stood in front of Lelouch and gave him a soft smile before her emotions were once again concealed behind her near expressionless mask and she hid her true appearance once more. "All set." She said, still unable to hide her quiet happiness at being with Lelouch as they left her home.

She always had a hard time hiding her emotions, even in this state, from her friend. He was just too damn perceptive.

The rest of the day went by quickly, though the Knight and Rook pair only saw each other at lunch before the day was nearly done because Koneko had been called for a number of different Contracts throughout the day. By the time they were all able to assemble in the old clubhouse, it was damn near sunset.

Lelouch leaned back comfortably in the couch next to Koneko, who was once again munching on one of the many sweets he had prepared for the day, as she tried to repress a yawn after her long day. He had just finished up his last training session with Akeno as, according to her, the only thing he could do to improve would be to increase his overall power so that his spells would be stronger which he could do on his own.

Unless he wanted to work on using a new spell, he wouldn't need to have his training sessions with Akeno any longer. It was a little bittersweet because, despite the exhaustion he had felt after what seemed like every training session, he had enjoyed spending time with the odd girl. But unless they truly started to use their more dangerous capabilities, she could no longer teach him. Even with Twilight Healing from Asia available, the two of them could still hurt one another with their deadlier techniques and he had agreed that the risk wasn't worth it. At least for now.

Lelouch tuned back into the conversation as Rias revealed her own Familiar, a rather… strange looking bat creature. ' _What is that_?' He wondered curiously, noting with some mild surprise as it transformed. "That's the girl who gave me my flyer." He murmured to himself, catching everyone's attention.

Issei blinked in realization. "Hey me too!" He remembered the hot chick the bat cosplay with a grin before his face froze. "Wait, so that girl was a bat?" His face got pale for a moment as he resisted the urge to puke. ' _Well, there go those fantasies_.' Issei thought as he gulped, feeling sick. He hung his head.

If Issei had known that cute girl had been a bat there was no way in hell he would've let it feature in his dreams.

Lelouch, meanwhile, realized something that kind of annoyed him. "You mean you could've had us get Familiars _before_ we had to hand out flyers?" His eye twitched in irritation, realizing that all that walking had been for essentially nothing.

"Yes, but it was important for you to understand the basics before moving on." Rias reminded her annoyed Knight, placating him for now.

The Black Knight felt his irritation dissipate slightly at that explanation, still not entirely satisfied but accepting it all the same. Akeno revealed hers next, some kind of strange emerald imp creature.

Issei reacted with wonder, before turning to turning to Koneko. "And what's yours?" He asked the petite Devil.

"Not telling." Koneko said, smirking slightly at Issei's despondent look and Lelouch's quiet snort of amusement.

"Mine's pretty badass." Kiba said, before Issei waved him off. Lelouch wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"If you want Issei to be interested in your Familiar you'd need to grow a pair up top Kiba." Lelouch said dryly with a smirk, gesturing around his chest.

That drew a snort of amusement from Rias, Akeno, and Kiba, especially as Issei was halfway through a nod of agreement before he processed what Lelouch had said.

"Screw you." Issei deadpanned at Lelouch, even though the dark-haired boy was entirely correct.

"Sorry, don't swing that way." Lelouch quipped eyes closed as he leaned back comfortably, preparing for the coming storm his next comment would set off. "Surprised you do though. Perhaps your interest in breasts is compensating for a more… _closeted_ interest?" Koneko coughed _hard_ next to him while Kiba and Akeno outright laughed as Issei went on an impassioned defense of his love for all things breast related. Rias just smiled, though her shoulders were shaking.

"You're just digging yourself deeper, you know that right?" Akeno said amusedly, Issei's mouth clicking shut as his blush burned bright in the light of the setting sun.

"Familiars are an important part of being a Devil." Rias retook control of the conversation and redirected it to get them back on track. "When you need them they're always there to back you up." She hoped Lelouch wouldn't antagonize Issei any further, even though watching the resulting interaction was highly amusing.

"Well that's just great." Asia said sadly. "Now only if we knew where to get them." Her soft sigh of disappointment pulled at Rias' heartstrings and she decided to get to the main point of this meeting before a knock sounded at the club's door. "Yeah?" Akeno called out, Rias still somewhat confused as she looked at the door. She hadn't been expecting anyone this late in the day.

Lelouch opened his eyes and blinked as he noticed the Student Council walk in. "Hey Sona." He greeted with a slight wave while Issei reacted with confusion.

"Nice to see you, Lelouch." She responded with a small smile. "Haven't had to replace yours or Akeno's uniform for a while, are you two finally finished?" Her wording drawing Issei's attention as his imagination ran wild.

"Wait, what were you and Akeno up to?" He demanded, his face getting a jealous look.

"We've been having a hot, passionate affair behind everyone's backs." Lelouch deadpanned before grunting in pain at Koneko's elbow buried in his side. ' _I think my rib cracked_.' He winced in pain. Damn, he kept forgetting about Koneko's strength.

Issei ignored that, but noticed Akeno's giggles which just cemented Lelouch's statement in his mind. "Teach me oh great one!" He got on his knees and begged. "Teach me your techniques and I'll be your loyal student!" He groveled as he grabbed Lelouch's shoe before getting kicked in the face.

"It was a joke you ass." Koneko deadpanned as she set her leg back down, feeling a mild satisfaction as Issei fell on his back after flying a few feet. She had held back so she didn't break his neck. "A rather bad one at that." Koneko glared slightly at Lelouch for his joke, noting with some remorse he was still rubbing his side. She sat back down next to him and mumbled out an apology.

Lelouch watched Koneko's kick send Issei away from him absentmindedly rubbing his side as the pain from Koneko's elbow strike started to wear off. "Sorry." She mumbled next to him and he just shook his head, indicating it wasn't necessary. "It's fine." He murmured before turning his attention back to Issei.

"She's right, we've actually been training after classes and Akeno kept destroying my uniform." He shrugged, ignoring the slight flare of pain from his side. "Eventually I managed to give as good as I got and Sona had to keep replacing our uniforms." He nodded in thanks at the Student Council President, sitting back to loosen the muscles a little in his side so he wouldn't cramp up. "But lately we haven't really needed to do that."

"Why are you here Sona?" Rias asked her friend after Lelouch finished his explanation. Issei was still rubbing his cheek and Rias made a mental note to up his training if Koneko's simple kick managed to hurt him that much.

"I wanted to congratulate you on increasing the number of your servants by three over the past month." Sona answered, causing Issei to realize what that statement implied. "That's rather impressive after all."

"Hang on." Issei stuttered out. "How does she know about that?" He blinked as he realized that Lelouch hadn't had any compunction against mentioning Devil training in front of her either.

"Her real name's Sona Sitri." Akeno explained to Issei, having taken on the role of teacher naturally for Rias' newest Devils. "She's not just Student Council President, she's also the heir to the House of Sitri, a High-Ranking Devil family in the Underworld."

Lelouch tuned out the rest of the conversation as Issei expressed his shock at other Devils being in their school. Though he did wave politely from his relaxed position as Rias introduced him to Sona's Peerage.

He'd had a similar reaction almost a month ago, he also decided he really didn't want to hear the boasting between Issei and one of Sona's Pawns. Lelouch couldn't sense much energy from the blond boy, he guessed he was only recently Reincarnated.

In fact, he'd say that the blond who had arrived with Sona was probably the weakest Devil in the room right now magically speaking, aside from Asia. Issei was stronger than a few of Sona's Peerage, but Lelouch couldn't get a good enough read as only the blond Pawn, Sona, and Sona's Queen were distinctive enough for him to tell.

If Lelouch had to he could deduce the basic capabilities available to everyone in Rias' Peerage by now, but he wasn't used to trying to sense Sona's Peerage members.

Rias was easily the strongest followed closely by Akeno.

Koneko and Kiba had about the same level of magical power, though Koneko was far stronger physically. Lelouch, thanks to his month of training under Akeno, was only _just_ weaker magically than the other Knight and the Nekoshou. Kiba was still faster than him while Koneko was physically more powerful.

Issei was below him and Asia even further below him, though her Sacred Gear made the most of her lack of power. If Issei used his Sacred Gear, he could reach about Lelouch's own level of magical power only after a couple Boosts at this point in part because, while it doubled his power, it took a while to double it enough to reach that point.

When Issei's base power was too weak then effectively doubling his power could only do so much. Currently it was similar to doubling at a base power of thirty, maybe forty to fifty. While if Issei was doubling his power at a base power of one hundred, there would be a significant increase, far greater than it was currently.

Of course, such numbers were simply hypothetical since it was difficult if not impossible to quantify magical power.

The boasting and proxy boasting soon tapered off however, to Lelouch's relief. Apparently Koneko had been right a few weeks ago when they were taking out the Fallen Angels in Kuoh. Heirs to the Pillars were rather dramatic.

He had no leg to stand on when it came to that kind of criticism, but Lelouch wasn't going to let it stop him from complaining to himself about it.

Apparently another reason why Sona had arrived was because there was a time conflict between Rias and Sona's plans to get Familiars for their newest members of their Peerages. "A contest, huh." Lelouch murmured as he considered Rias' suggestion, taking interest in the two Kings' conversation while ignoring the pissing contest between the two Pawns over Asia.

"Whoever wins gets to make their request first." Rias said with a smile. Sona looked interested in her proposal. Rias smirked, she felt they could handle this no problem.

"Surely you're not suggesting a Rating Game?" Sona questioned causing Rias to snicker slightly, reassuring the Sitri heir slightly. Her friend wouldn't be that careless after all.

"Oh no, we'd never get permission for that." Rias waved off the suggestion as ridiculous.

"True, plus now's not the time to be drawing attention to yourself now is it." Sona taunted her rival slightly.

"Don't go there." Rias shut down that avenue of conversation rather quickly, drawing Lelouch's suspicion.

' _I wonder what that was about_.' Lelouch hummed in thought, suspecting it was the reason Rias had yet to even mention the Rating Games to the three newest Devils. He'd had to learn about them from Akeno. It was almost like the red-haired girl was avoiding the subject entirely. ' _Strange_.' The rest of the conversation went towards detailing what kind of competition they should have, since they apparently couldn't both go this week.

"I know." Rias announced eagerly. "We should settle this the old fashioned high school way, with sports!" For some reason that declaration filled Lelouch with a sense of trepidation.

He hoped he wouldn't have to do too much. Training and fighting was one thing, but sports?

The Devil Knight couldn't repress a minor shudder.

* * *

The next day, Lelouch lay back and stared at the sky on one of the hills of Kuoh Academy, ignoring the clamor as hundreds of people gathered around the tennis court to watch the match between Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki. That, or try and catch a glimpse of their panties as they were wearing rather short skirts with their tennis uniforms.

"I swear, it's like they're enjoying teasing damn near the entire male population of the Academy." He murmured to himself, before closing his eyes with a sigh. "You can come over if you want Koneko." He announced to his friend, who was looking back and forth between his relaxed form and the crowd watching the match.

"There's no point in getting involved, tennis isn't a team sport beyond doubles so it's not like there's anything we'll be able to do to help Rias and Akeno win." Well, unless he surreptitiously flicked a few Void Shots at Sona, but if Rias needed him to cheat to help her win she shouldn't have agreed to have a tennis match be the deciding factor.

Koneko decided Lelouch's argument made the most sense and meandered over to lay down next to him, leaning into his body slightly for warmth as the fall cold started to nip at her exposed skin.

Lelouch wrapped an arm around the petite Devil's shoulders as she tried to sap some of his body heat, knowing she didn't like the cold. When the screaming from by the tennis match reached a crescendo Lelouch felt the urge to blast every one of them with a Void Shot to shut them all up. His right hand twitched slightly before he got a handle on his Wrath, drawing Koneko's attention.

Ever since he had started to get more powerful his Sin was getting harder to control. If he unleashed his full power now, he probably could kill everyone over at the match in about ten seconds. Well, the humans at least.

Five for the initial attacks, another five to hunt down the ones running away. _It would be all too easy_. Lelouch took a deep breath, trying to handle the cold rage flaring inside his chest.

"Are you handling everything okay?" Koneko asked softly, Lelouch having told her his troubles controlling his Wrath. "I thought a couple people annoying you wasn't enough to set it off?" If it had then Issei would have gotten a regular helping of Void energy every time Lelouch saw him.

Even if Lelouch didn't hate the boy and considered him a somewhat worthy ally, he was still incredibly annoying to the more serious young man.

"It's not that." Lelouch responded, doing his best to tune out the match. "It's the fact that it's about a couple hundred annoyances all at once." He clenched his fist, squashing the smoky energy that had begun to form around his right arm. ' _Not without my permission dammit_.' He focused his attention on quashing the cold sensation permeating his chest. It was suppressed for now, but it kept getting more difficult each time.

This was why he had refused Akeno when she wanted to fight him in his Wrath Mode, he didn't think he could control it as the only one he had used it on was Mittelt. And his brutality in that kill had actually surprised him once he began to calm himself down, he had the same reaction when he went over his actions towards Raynare.

He didn't like not having control over his own emotions. His Wrath had been influencing him more than he expected.

"It does seem to be getting out of control." Koneko admitted thinking of the tennis match, leaning into him further as she enjoyed his arm around her shoulders. She still had issues with physical contact, but when she was with Lelouch she no longer flinched at his touch every time.

"So this is where you two are." The voice of Kiba sounded behind them, the pair not reacting in the slightest. "I was wondering since it seemed everyone in school except for you two showed up." The blond walked down and sat next to Lelouch on the hill, resting his arms on his raised knees. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people at a tennis match here before." He hadn't seen many, but he knew that a couple hundred people didn't usually show up for school matches.

"Yeah, I just hope it's over soon." Lelouch admitted, not changing his position next to Koneko. If Kiba was going to make a big deal out of their closeness he would have done it by now. It wouldn't change the fact that Koneko was cold and was going to latch on to him for his heat. He'd much rather keep control over his arm than have her crush it against her body.

Lelouch blinked as he felt a flare of magical power. Kiba and Koneko reacted as well, standing up and turning to face the tennis court. The former Emperor sighed, pressing his hand against his eyes, refusing to stand from his somewhat comfortable position. "Please tell me they're not using magic." He whispered desperately hoping it wasn't the case.

"Okay, we won't tell you." Koneko deadpanned, staring at the crowd surrounding the match.

"I thought the rule was no magic, even if we didn't expect a mob to show up." Kiba spoke, trying to recall the rules they had set up.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Lelouch sighed. "I wasn't paying attention because there was no way in hell I was getting involved." Training and combat were one thing, but he sucked at sports. He wasn't half bad at horseback riding, but every single member of the Imperial Family had been taught that practically since they could walk. Almost any other sport, and he was worse than deadweight.

"That rule doesn't seem to be stopping them." Koneko reported as the two Knights and one Rook sensed another flare of magical power. "Rias is about to lay the smackdown." She commented, recognizing her friend's magical signature.

"Time to kiss the rulebook goodbye huh." Kiba commented, wondering if they should make their way over to prepare to wipe the humans' minds.

"Alright, fuck it." Lelouch stood up in exasperation and began to make his way over. He had noticed recently that the influence of his Wrath had made him a bit more vulgar than he used to be. "I'm going to watch to make sure they don't expose us." Kiba and Koneko followed him almost immediately, walking on each side of the dark-haired Knight.

"You don't think they're that careless, do you?" Kiba asked, curious his fellow Knight's line of thinking.

"No, I just think they're that competitive." He answered dryly, pushing and shoving to make his way through the crowd. Koneko did the same, though most of the students parted for her. Eventually the three of them had a good view of the match and saw Saji, Sona's newest Pawn, waving a red flag from the top of the fence. "Dear Satan." Lelouch murmured. "He's almost exactly like Issei." How annoying.

"Most of the guys here are, they're just more respectful or hide it better." Koneko replied dryly. The only ones who openly embraced their perversions were the perverted trio. "Say what you will about him and his friends, and I have, but at least they're honest about their base instincts." Lelouch and Kiba snickered lightly, not entirely sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. Nonetheless, they still found it amusing.

"True, true." Kiba responded while Lelouch just shrugged as his response. The newest Knight wasn't going to agree or disagree with that statement. He sensed Koneko hadn't been referring to either him or Kiba with that statement, so there was no need to get defensive.

"Doesn't change the fact that they've probably broken about a dozen laws over the course of their time here." Lelouch deadpanned. "Without Rias' protection, they'd have been expelled at the very least by now." He blinked as he watched the tennis ball explode and the two teams' nets practically disintegrated. "Holy shit."

A little while later, they were all in the clubhouse as Koneko held up the nets. "Too bad it was a draw." She deadpanned, though Lelouch could sense the annoyance in her tone. "Now they're talking about dragging all of us into a team match."

Lelouch just kept banging his head on the wall behind the couch, resisting the urge to make a noose out of the shower curtains and hang himself. He ignored the conversation between Issei and Kiba and groaned. "I hate this shit." He grumbled, stopping his head bashing as the door opened revealing Rias and Akeno.

"We've decided on dodgeball." Rias declared and Lelouch resisted the urge to return to smacking his head against the wall. "We'll meet over the weekend, tomorrow night in the gym. Let's win this!" She pumped her fist enthusiastically, encouraging the other four members of her Peerage to do the same, Lelouch just returned to thumping his head against the wall. "Lelouch you in or out?" Rias asked, confused by her Knight's reaction.

"Fuck it." He mumbled for the second time that day. "Fine, but this better be the last time. I hate sports." Lelouch brushed passed Rias so that he could make his way home, Koneko would catch up soon enough. He just wanted to get some fresh air.

It wasn't that Lelouch didn't appreciate Rias doing this for him, Issei, and Asia, but he just wished they had picked something more up his alley. Like the chess tournament they had held the previous week. "I think I'll just take a flop." Lelouch admitted to Koneko as he felt her walk up to his side a few minutes later. "I can wait a month if absolutely necessary." His speed could be useful in the game, but he didn't really feel to motivated to play.

Koneko wrapped his arm around her shoulders, getting herself as close to his body heat as she could as they walked home. The Kuoh female uniform wasn't built for the cold temperatures of fall nights. "I'll kick ass for you." She deadpanned. "I kinda want to nail Saji in the balls, just visualizing Issei will make my aim right on target." She announced with a smirk.

Lelouch's laugh warmed Koneko more than his body heat as she felt a blush flush her cheeks. It was a rare sound, but she enjoyed it whenever she heard a genuine laugh from her best friend.

Spending time with Lelouch always made her happier.

* * *

The day before the night they were set to take on Sona's Peerage in a dodgeball match, Lelouch and Koneko spent most of the day relaxing. Lelouch decided against wearing his uniform to school, though Koneko decided to wear her Kuoh gym uniform because it was most comfortable for her.

Lelouch observed Koneko slightly as she moved around their home in her uniform, having worn it most of the day. "Are you sure you want to wear that on the way?" He asked, knowing her sensitivity to the cold. "It's supposed to be colder than yesterday." Lelouch didn't want Koneko to get sick.

"Yes, I don't trust the pervert to not spy on me in the locker room." She deadpanned, nibbling on a last second snack. He decided to make some rice crispy treats today. "Besides, you're wearing shorts for once, that isn't much better." She retorted, pointing out his own choice of clothing.

Lelouch was wearing a pair of black shorts with silver lining the edges and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. He had decided against just giving up as Rias and the others were actually going to try for his sake he should at least attempt to return the favor. What he was wearing was still better than the white shirt and navy blue bloomers Koneko was wearing but he wasn't gonna nitpick. Late October was rather chilly, but it was her choice.

"Alright." He shrugged and pulled on his own dark jacket. Koneko was smart, if she thought she could handle herself he'd listen until proven otherwise.

However, after they were walking in silence for a while Lelouch noticed Koneko's teeth chattering quietly before he sighed. She was too stubborn for her own good sometimes. He removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. "Here, you need this more than I do." They were only just about halfway there, it would only get worse for the petite girl.

Koneko looked up at him in surprise before looking off to her side blushing at having been caught. She didn't want to admit it, but he had been right. "Thanks." She mumbled, wrapping herself up in her best friend's jacket. Its dark cloth smelled just like him, she noted with a small smile. ' _It's warm_.' Perhaps being wrong wasn't too bad once in a while.

Eventually they arrived, a little after Rias and Akeno actually, and started to stretch out. Once Lelouch felt himself as loose as he could be, he grabbed one of the balls they were going to be using and started tossing it against the wall. He threw it moderately hard and caught it on the bounce back, squeezing it slightly before sighing. "These won't explode like the tennis balls right?" He asked Rias as she grabbed one ball of her own and tossed it to him. He dropped the one he was holding to catch it before tossing it to Kiba who passed to Akeno and then to Koneko.

"They shouldn't." Rias responded somewhat sheepishly. "The tennis balls got weaker cause they weren't able to handle us channeling magic." She chucked it at Akeno who threw it to Lelouch, hitting him in the gut.

Lelouch winced slightly, rubbing his midsection before picking the ball up. "I understand, I can't make any promises, but I'll at least try to not be the weakest link." He chucked the ball hard at Kiba who accidentally bounced it into the air before catching it off his own deflection.

"Hey, sorry we're late!" Issei's voice sounded from the doorway and he walked in dressed in a grey tracksuit, similar to Kiba's. Asia was dressed the same as Akeno and Koneko, while Rias was dressed in a magenta and white tracksuit.

"It's no problem Issei." Rias responded happily, catching the ball Kiba threw towards her. "Akeno, Koneko, you two help Issei and Asia stretch out." She threw the ball over to Lelouch, grabbing a few others. "Lelouch, Kiba, and I are gonna practice our handling." She juggled two balls, throwing one of each at her Knights.

Lelouch deflected the ball with the one he had caught a moment ago, groaning internally at Rias' orders. He was not looking forward to having to deal with the two of them potentially ganging up on him.

After a few minutes of practice, Issei let out a loud scream as Koneko forced his body to contort in a way he wasn't used to.

Lelouch turned, taking a shot to the gut and head as Rias and Kiba ended up hitting him due to his distraction. When he saw Issei nearly kissing his own balls with his legs spread out wide, he collapsed in laughter. The pain of the gut and headshots were nothing to the amusement he felt at seeing Issei in that position.

"Koneko, please don't break my Pawn." Rias ordered, hiding a smile and ignoring her second Knight's laughter. She knew that Issei and Koneko clashed due to Issei's perversion, but the boy would recover easily enough. A Devil's healing factor could handle far worse than that. At most, it would take a few seconds for Issei to feel back to normal. Still, she couldn't have one of her friends out of commission before facing off against Sona.

Rias was determined to win dammit. There was no way she was going to let herself lose to Sona.

"Yes, Lady Rias." Koneko acquiesced to her order, removing her hands from Issei's back and allowing him to come back up for air.

A little while later, after they finished stretching and a little full team practice, Issei pulled out a small stack of headbands for everyone.

Lelouch stared at the strip of white cloth in his hand and wondered if he could set it on fire without coming off like an asshole. Headbands were not anywhere near his preferences. They were just not his thing in the slightest. Unfortunately, for him at least, no one else had any objections so there was no way he could refuse Issei's gift without being unreasonable. Still, at least there was one upside.

Issei would likely not end up chucking the ball at him as long as he saw the headband.

According to the boy's description of himself, he was about as inclined to play sports as Lelouch. Which meant that Rias was probably going to be at an immediate disadvantage with the two of them on her team. Either of them could very well turn out to be the weakest link.

"You've exceeded my expectations." Koneko commented wryly on Lelouch's left, causing a near silent snort to escape his lips. He made a mental note to try to avoid tripping over the _extremely_ low bar Koneko had set for Issei.

"Let's stick these on and kick some Sitri ass!" Rias declared as she put the headband on, prompting the rest, including Lelouch despite his personal misgivings, to follow suit as Sona and her Peerage arrived in the gym.

"Ready to rock and roll?" Sona's voice rang out as the teams began to get into position, with one of Sona's Peerage taking up the position of referee. Lelouch stuck close to Koneko, deciding that he would likely be able to take a little heat for her so she could return fire with her enhanced strength. He didn't plan to use any spells until he saw the others do so, but he figured it wouldn't take long.

They had set up another "no magic" rule, but both sides were way too competitive and would likely use it to try and get an edge over the other team. He doubted it would last even a half minute.

There were about three balls available and Sona's Peerage had won the coin toss regarding who got to attack first. Lelouch thought it was a rather stupid idea considering it would be all too easy to stick the balls in the middle of the gym and charge to get them, whoever got them first would be able to strike first, but at least this way no side would use direct spells to try and prevent the other team from getting them first. In the end, he decided it was probably the safest option since no one was supposed to get hurt by the competition even if it wasn't the _best_ option overall.

It would kind of defeat the whole purpose of this game after all.

A teal-haired girl wound up her ball and chucked it towards Koneko, before Lelouch stuck his arm in the way and took the hit, deflecting the ball into the air. He knelt and nodded to the young Devil, before she jumped off his back and grabbed the ball out of the air, immediately bringing him back into the game after he became the first out.

The exchange took less than two seconds, but it became the shot that started what honestly seemed like a wargame more than just a simple game of dodgeball. Everybody started to shift and move to try and find good positions to either defend or attack while Lelouch winced slightly at the sting on his arm. That girl felt like it could have been Sona's Rook, or one of them at least.

It _stung_ , getting hit by her throw. At least, until someone caught the ball on Sona's side, she was officially out of the game. Lelouch's eyes flickered around, taking in information and twisting, shifting, dodging out of the way as spells started flying around, though at least no one was targeting each other directly. They were just enhancing the balls with magic.

One managed to somehow use what Lelouch thought was a wind spell around a ball and managed to strike Koneko while he was distracted, resulting in her shirt getting a massive tear through it. He ignored Issei's comment and just looked at the one who had hit his friend, marking her down as his target. "Go get a drink, you can cover up with my jacket if need be." Lelouch offered as he picked up the ball that had hit Koneko. "I'll take her out, no problem." He coated the ball in Void energy and ran around, dodging glass after a window shattered as he built up some speed before throwing the ball, using the momentum be had built up to nail the girl in the back as hard as he could.

The back of her shirt was consumed before, with mild difficulty, he forced the Void energy to dissipate from her clothing and stop destroying it. It was currently held together by some threads. He winced apologetically at her glare. "Sorry bout your shirt." He said, redirecting his attention as he needed to dodge away from her. "I didn't mean to do that, I just wanted to take you out." He said and hoped she believed him.

The dark-haired Devil didn't want to have to deal with her having a vendetta against him for this.

Rias ended up catching a strong throw from another one of Sona's Peerage, bringing Koneko back into the game as she was currently the only one out, though Issei had some close calls as he was distracted by the uniforms of many of the girls. In particular how many of them ended up getting shredded or outright destroyed like the poor girl Rias had targeted.

Lelouch chuckled as the first thing Koneko did after coming back into the game, once he gave her his ball after retrieving it, was nail Saji in the balls with pinpoint accuracy. He held his fist out for her and she bumped it with a small, satisfied grin. "Nice power, good shot." He said, ignoring the sympathy pains he had towards Saji as a fellow male. The squeaking from the blond Pawn was rather amusing to the sadistic Devil.

Sona launched a powerful throw Lelouch managed to only just slide under and he admired the amount of power flowing from the dark flames of energy licking around the ball as it hunted down its target. Poor Issei didn't stand a chance, though he put up a valiant effort as it took about ten seconds for the ball to make full contact with him.

Though when it did Lelouch winced, as did Kiba and Saji, who was still crumpled as Issei collapsed. The brunette Pawn's face reflected nothing less than _sheer agony_ as he hit the floor with barely a twitch. While Saji had been hit in the balls with a Rook's enhanced strength, that had nothing on a fully magic enhanced ball thrown by his King. Especially after it built up momentum due to Issei's dodging.

' _The pain indeed_.' The three conscious males thought as they felt extreme sympathy for the semi-conscious boy, remembering Sona's comment before her attack.

A break was allowed to try and make sure Issei would still be able to have children before they started up the match again. Asia's naïve offer to heal Issei if he "showed her where it hurt" was downright adorable, and Issei's reaction, despite the sheer amount of _pain_ he was in, was hilarious in a somewhat twisted way as he tried to wave the girl off. Rias' Peerage began to congregate around the pair of healer and victim, Lelouch beside Koneko and next to Kiba as they observed the little interaction as Asia tried to convince the boy to let her heal his injury.

Eventually, the pain wore him down and Asia's offer to heal him over his pants was sufficient for him to submit to Asia's Twilight Healing. Issei's reaction to the "tingly" sensation as he put it was rather predictable. The soothing power of Asia's Sacred Gear flowing through his injury made the injured boy moan.

"You better not be getting off on this." Koneko deadpanned. Lelouch looked at her out of the corner of her eye, mentally debating on whether to say something like that was impossible before remembering that it was Issei she was talking about. Lelouch wouldn't be surprised if the boy was enjoying this healing session more than others.

"It's got a mind of its own." Issei admitted self-deprecatingly, groaning slightly. Issei sometimes wished he wasn't such a pervert as even something like _this_ felt way better than it probably should have considering just how hard he'd been hit in his junk. But all he could think about was how wonderful Asia's healing powers felt as they fixed the damage as best it could. The pain was far more muted now and Issei was beginning to regain hope that he'd still have his favorite body part attached to him.

"Please take care of him Asia." Rias began determinedly. "We have a game to finish." She nodded at her Bishop's reply, directing her attention to Sona and her team. "Come on guys, let's win this one for Issei!" She clenched her fist, prepared to strike down Sona's Peerage for this slight.

After they had practically dragged the poor boy off to the side of the gym so he wouldn't be hit again, play resumed. And Lelouch found himself really wishing it hadn't a few moments in as he ran up a wall as fast as he could to escape a ball that seemed to have heat seeking capabilities crashed straight through the wall as he backflipped off of the wall. An explosion rang out behind him, and the Devil Knight slowly turned around to see most of Sona's Peerage out cold on the ground, while Sona herself fell on her ass.

Glass slowly rained down from the shattered windows and Lelouch slowly blinked, trying to piece together what the hell had just happened.

"Ah… Oops." Koneko's soft voice rang out in the suddenly silent gymnasium. "Sorry." She apologized, leaving Lelouch still mystified as to what had happened in the few seconds he had been turned around.

"Huh, I guess that's what happens when dodgeballs enhanced with magic collide together." Rias' voice was as mystified as Lelouch's expression, but at least he knew what caused the devastation now.

With that knowledge, he could deduce what happened and why Rias' Peerage had suddenly become the victors of this little competition. Koneko must have accidentally thrown the ball she had enhanced with magical energy, and further boosted by her Rook strength, into another ball similarly enhanced by one of Sona's Peerage. The resulting collision obliterated the other ball and caused a shockwave that knocked out everyone hit by it save for Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, Rias, and Sona. Lelouch was furthest from the blast zone, but Asia and Issei were out cold.

"Well, I guess we won." Lelouch mumbled, still in shock at just how sudden the end to the match had been.

At least he'd be able to get his Familiar now.

* * *

Lelouch followed the rest of Rias' Peerage as they made their way through the strange forest of the Familiar world, keeping an eye out for any potential Familiars he may want to claim for himself. Before they entered Akeno's portal to the Familiar world, they had gone to their homes to change back into their school uniforms since most of their clothing had been shredded during the match. He tuned out their guide around the time of his second rhyme, finding his little limerick gimmick annoying. He heard some rustling nearby and, figuring the group couldn't get into too much trouble without him, went off to check it out himself.

There was a lot of foliage in the way, but Lelouch eventually managed to brush enough of the branches out of his way to wander off the beaten path and found a dark clearing with a crystal pond, not unlike the one that revealed the Undine creature Issei had contemplated claiming as his own Familiar before seeing what the true appearance of the creature was.

Lelouch had been freaked out by seeing just how muscular that thing's arms were, even one of that Undine's arms could have crushed him like a pencil.

He hoped that this body of water didn't contain something comparable, he rather liked being unbroken by a creature's oversized muscles. Thankfully, the creature that had made the sound didn't appear to be anything so disturbing. In fact, there were a few creatures surrounding the pond, each taking a chance to satiate their thirst.

There appeared to be a small flock of strange looking birds, each one held a strange design on its back and none matched the others. Their feathers were a deep obsidian with red highlights along the edges of some feathers giving the appearance that they were streaked with blood, and the design on their backs were colored a silvery grey, the streak going across multiple feathers to create the design. Their eyes were all an unsettling crimson red, but thankfully they weren't pointed in his direction.

Another group was what appeared to be a pack of black wolves. They had streaks of smoky grey across their muzzles and ivory streaks going up their legs. The tips of some areas of their fur were tipped with red, though it was only the areas that spiked out that had the red tips. Their eyes were slitted, and the iris was colored a deep emerald on all of them. Some had noticed his entrance into the clearing, but most were still preoccupied with their drinking from the pond.

There was one very strange looking bird and it was staring right at him. It was pure silver, with the exception of some ebony streaks throughout its underside. Its lilac eyes were staring directly into his own, but its gaze didn't seem unnerving. It was simply… curious at his presence. It screeched before taking off, not fleeing but leaving all the same.

Lelouch decided to ignore the strange occurrence in favor of trying to connect with one of the other Familiars within the clearing. He walked forward quietly, making his way to the edge of the pond and drawing the attention of the flock and pack that had been drinking their fill. Rather than try and force a connection, he sat down close to the waters' edge and began to meditate, drawing upon his connection to the Void.

Whichever creatures came to him would be the ones he considered as potential Familiars. Until then, he would remain patient.

* * *

Ophis… was not pleased. Perhaps she should not have chosen this form when she decided to track down her wayward project, but it had some familiarity that she preferred compared to the other forms she could take. Still, there were a disturbing number of individuals interfering with her while she remained in the form of a young girl.

Some, like one particularly stubborn officer she had taken care of, appeared to mean well. Though she had no idea what this "school" thing was that they wanted to take her to. Or why he took issue with her particular outfit. Sure, she would have to change it once the temperature started to bother her human form, but until that point she saw very little reason why it would be an issue.

Others couldn't take the hint that she wanted to be left alone. She got a peculiar satisfaction from scaring those children into respecting her wishes.

These nuisances were why she had taken to searching for her Demon Emperor at night rather than during the day when the well-meaning irritants would be roaming the streets. Unfortunately, there was a whole other kind of problem that appeared at night. One such problem was currently cowering before her in a dark alley, clutching his stump that used to be a hand before he had the gall to lay a hand on her.

"Tell me." She spoke softly, still not entirely used to her new voice that was so different from her normal one. "Where is the Demon Emperor?" She could sense his energy in this city, but trying to find him was like a human trying to find a particular ant. Just because she knew he was here and just because she had the ability to sense her power inside him didn't mean that it would act like a beacon that would immediately alert her to his location. She had to find him by combing this city, but she hoped she could find him soon or else she would have to resort to drastic measures.

"L-look." The trembling fool before her spoke. "I'm sorry trying to kidnap you. Please, I swear, I'll be a good person from now on." Tears streamed down the man's cheeks as he tried and failed to stem the bleeding from his stump of a hand. "I don't know where he is, just please let me live!" He choked as he suddenly found himself missing a windpipe.

"Your voice bothers me." The Dragon of Infinity spoke, turning to leave once she learned this man didn't know the location of her quarry. "Be silent." A snake shot out from her clothing and finished the job, cleaving the man's head from his body and permanently eliminating the voice that bothered the Dragon God.

It looked like she would have to continue her search elsewhere. And perhaps it would be easier to wait until she could feel the presence of her power within this city again. It had vanished a few hours ago, if it wasn't back by sunrise she would just get rid of the city and move onto the next one.

No one would really miss Kuoh anyway, and she had no use for it if her target wasn't in town. Eliminating it for the annoyances it gave her felt like just compensation for the time she wasted trying to find Lelouch vi Britannia.

* * *

 **So… yeah. Ophis can be bloodthirsty when she's annoyed. Don't worry, Lelouch and the others will be back by sunrise next chapter and Ophis will continue her search for her little pet project.**

 **I plan to advance the plot of the main story during most of the chapter, but the end of each chapter will feature Ophis as she tries to narrow down her search parameters to find the unintentionally elusive Demon Emperor. Just because he holds some of her power doesn't mean she'll be able to immediately track him down. Like I mentioned in story, it'd be like a human trying to find a specific ant out of thousands if not more.**

 **Despite knowing one who holds her power is in the city and knowing which city he is in, she hasn't ever really needed to narrow down her searching capabilities before. A Dragon God who has never needed to track someone down doesn't exactly have the best tracking skills after all.**

 **I know it's a little long, but I do hope you've enjoyed the newest chapter.**

 **Review if you enjoyed it, I like to get reader feedback.**

 **I really hope that you have enjoyed my little birthday gift from me to you.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	7. Chapter 7: True Names

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the new story Arc, titled _The Growth_. It's not what you'd expect, but you will just have to wait and see.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: True Names**

* * *

It was… relaxing, meditating in the world of Familiars. Lelouch picked up on a change that he hadn't noticed when he was just walking with the rest of Rias' Peerage. The very air in this world was filled with more magical energy than he had ever felt in the human world. He had been meditating for a few minutes, the sounds of everyone's voices becoming muted the more he delved into the core of his powers.

The sound of flapping wings sounded throughout the clearing, alongside more rustling of the underbrush, signaling a number of both the pack and the flock had left the clearing. A screech sounded nearby, perhaps signaling the presence of the other creature he couldn't recognize, but it was some distance away. It could have been a different creature, or perhaps it was the same. He wasn't familiar enough with its cry to identify it without opening his eyes.

The grass and dirt crunched as a couple of the remaining creatures made their way towards his still form. Lelouch simply focused on the overwhelming sensation of an all-consuming nothingness, not moving a single muscle as he waited for the creatures to make contact with him. Whatever came to him would be who he would choose from. A Familiar connection should not be forced, at least that's what Lelouch believed.

After everything he had gone through in his life, he refused to enforce his will over a creature that would be serving him for the foreseeable future. He had used his Geass to make an army of slaves after those who followed willingly had betrayed him, but he still believed loyalty earned was more valuable than loyalty forced. That same belief extended to the creature who would become his Familiar in this new world he found himself in.

A beak and a snout brushed up against his knee and his arm respectively, prompting Lelouch to open his eyes. One of the wolves was sniffing him, emerald eyes curious, but not predatory. Meanwhile, the black bird, perhaps a raven or crow, was staring up at him unblinkingly with its crimson eyes. The grey design on its back bore an eerie resemblance to a wide-open eye, giving the appearance that it had a third eye on its back. The Demon Emperor locked eyes with the crimson ones of the feathered Familiar before he turned to stare at the dark wolf who had stopped sniffing him to stare up at him in a similar manner. Then another screech sounded, prompting him to look up above and notice the silver bird land slightly away from him, slowly hopping as its lilac eyes stared into his own.

' _These eyes_.' Each of them had something that reminded him of his past. The emerald eyes bore a striking similarity to Suzaku's now that he had a closer look, while the silver bird's bore a heartbreaking resemblance to Nunnally's own, though lilac instead of a light violet. The shades were similar enough to pull at Lelouch's heart. Lelouch surmised the silver creature was perhaps some kind of phoenix as he saw flames slightly flicker around the feathers and its ebony streaked belly.

Turning his attention back to the dark crow, or perhaps raven, he really would need to find out how to tell the difference soon, he saw a twisted resemblance to his fully evolved Geass. The crimson in the dark creature's eyes shined brightly with a curiosity, but Lelouch suspected they could just as easily shine with malice. ' _They remind me so much of the past_.' He didn't know what it meant, but his heart felt pulled by these three creatures in a way he believed was wholly unique given his past experiences.

The silver phoenix slowly hopped towards him, standing next to the raven, before it brushed the top of its head on his shoulder. It was the largest Familiar, though the wolf came a close second, while the raven or crow was the smallest in size. Each Familiar would offer their own benefits and drawbacks, but since he didn't know which to choose he drew on his magical power and allowed it to flare slightly. Darkness coated his form, outlining his body in the energy of the Void, while his eyes flashed crimson with his **Power of the King**.

" **Answer truly** ," he ordered with authority. " **Will any of you choose to follow this Devil in his shadow, no matter the path he may choose in the future**?" His question was important as there was no way he would allow a disloyal Familiar to follow him, even if his plans only consisted on obtaining power for himself right now. Lelouch awaited the creatures' replies with baited breath, carefully maintaining the energy of the Void to test their commitment to follow an individual linked with such an all-consuming and dangerous power.

In response, the crow or raven shrieked, flapping its wings slightly as it relocated to his shoulder to nip at his ear. The wolf barked and sat on its haunches, its tail wrapping around its front paws, awaiting orders. And the reaction that surprised and disappointed him most was the phoenix's. The silver beast shrieked before bursting into a silver flame, a small cinder singed the back of Lelouch's right hand as he raised it to shield his eyes from the bright light.

' _Well, two out of three_.' He should've known the one that reminded him of Nunnally would refuse to follow him, instead choosing to vanish into a fiery teleportation. A solemn smirk graced the Devil Knight's face. "So, you have chosen to follow me then." He whispered rhetorically, allowing his power to fade back into his being as he rose up from his meditative position. "Very well, let's move out." And with that, the bird on his shoulder flapped its wings slightly to slowly fly behind his shoulder while the wolf pup followed at his heel loyally, its padded feet rhythmically pounding the dirt of the Familiar world as they made their way back to Rias' Peerage.

As he brushed his way back through the branches, he realized that they had moved farther ahead than he had thought. ' _Wonder where_ –' The thought was cut off as a scream echoed down the forest. One that sounded suspiciously as though it were in pain, but not necessarily against it. ' _Akeno_.' Lelouch thought dryly, recognizing the sound easily having caused the Queen to elicit that sound rather often during their spars when he caught her by surprise. Well, he knew where they were now at least.

Lelouch sped off into the direction of the scream, the wolf pup and the bird matching his increase in pace rather well. Lightning flashed in a clearing and Lelouch felt his Wrath flare, smoky energy gathering around his right arm and a bloodthirsty grin splitting his face, before he burst through the underbrush ready to kill something.

It turned out to have been all for naught. The energy vanished from swirling around his arm, almost as incredulous as its master, when Lelouch beheld the ridiculous sight of green slime beginning to dissolve the clothing of everyone touched by it. Kiba was lucky as the slime seemed to be content with his jacket as an offering, but the girls weren't so lucky as they seemed to have their clothes actively being disintegrated by the strange slime. Lightning was flashing from Akeno and Rias was doing her part with her **Power of Destruction** to quell the apparent threat, but Lelouch felt almost cheated.

"What… the… fuck." He murmured, making his way over to Koneko who was ripping the perverted slime off of her with great prejudice. As he stepped over Issei's fallen body, he noticed the wide-eyed look of glee on the pervert's face. He flicked a **Void Shot** at the sky, though this was one variation he'd been working on. The slime stopped falling from the sky as the orb he had shot up began to spin around and absorb the raining material into itself.

"No!" Issei's voice sounded with despair as he watched the spell Lelouch had cast begin to destroy the creature he wanted as his Familiar. "Why?! That was supposed to be my Familiar!" His face was pale with terror as he looked to Lelouch with tears in his eyes. "Why would you destroy such a beautiful thing?!" Was it possible that the Black Prince of Kuoh was gay? He and his friends had only spread that rumor as a joke, but it had backfired as the girls had only become _more_ interested in the dark-haired boy.

"That was a Familiar candidate?" Lelouch murmured as he removed his uniform jacket and draped it gently over Koneko's shoulders. He ignored Issei's outburst save for that bit. Ignoring the pervert had become almost instinctive at this point.

"Thank you, Lelouch." Koneko spoke, a blush still covering her cheeks from the experience she had just undergone. ' _I… think I can see Akeno's point_.' Her blush deepened slightly as she zipped up the jacket her best friend had given her. Pain wasn't necessarily _all_ bad, the sting had been disturbingly pleasant as the slime began to disintegrate her clothing. Thankfully Lelouch's jacket was long enough to cover her nearly ruined polka dotted panties along with her matching bra, she didn't want _everything_ exposed like that. Especially in front of that perverted Pawn. The angry Nekoshou pulled the jacket down as far is it could go, but she couldn't get it past mid-thigh as it would begin to slide from her shoulders otherwise. "That slime is a parasite, the pervert wanted it so he could turn girls naked anytime he wanted." Her voice was tainted with disgust as she answered her friend, a reaction matched by Lelouch's face as he stared down at his fellow Devil with a sneer.

"I see how it is." Lelouch spoke with disdain as he stared at Issei with a disappointed look. "I had thought he had begun to change and have more respect than that." It seemed his assessment had been incorrect, Issei was still an incorrigible pervert. ' _I don't like being wrong_.' It was a feeling Lelouch was unused to, considering how well he was able to pick out what was going on within someone's mind most of the time. He would have to ensure his assessment of Issei always factored in some sort of perverted motivation if he were going to be able to accurately judge the boy.

Perversion was natural, even healthy for pretty much everyone, but that boy and his two friends took things much too far for Lelouch's taste. It disgusted him.

"Get it off, get it off!" Asia's voice sounded as she squeaked for mercy. Lelouch was about to direct the **Void Orb** 's attention to Asia's predicament before it exploded above them. The Devil Knight looked above and saw flecks of Void slip down from the sky before disintegrating.

' _Huh, apparently after it fulfills my condition it detonates like my Void Shot_.' Lelouch deduced silently, realizing that had some potential. His attention was quickly diverted as Issei rushed over and held Asia tightly to protect the remaining slime. Koneko, Lelouch, Rias, and Akeno all walked over slowly as they prepared to eradicate the last of the slime. "Move Issei, the only way to deal with that kind of parasite is to destroy it completely." Rias declared boldly, though it was a statement that may have had more gravitas were she not damn near naked.

Lelouch flexed his fingers, preparing to summon his gauntlet in order to rip Issei off of Asia if he had to, but something drew his attention. A small dragon spewed lightning to free the former nun from her entanglement, both from Issei and the slime. A smirk graced the Devil's face while Koneko snickered quietly next to him as Issei collapsed, smoking from the rather shocking experience. ' _So, this forest has dragons as well then_.' Rias comment regarding the "Sprite Dragon" simply confirmed his earlier observation. It seemed all manner of mythical creatures existed in some form in this world. Though, Lelouch had a feeling this one was a very young dragon considering he doubted beasts of that size would have spawned so many heroic tales of glory.

Issei was promptly shocked again as he mourned for the slime before turning his focus to blaming the tiny blue dragon. "Do you seriously think he's a "good boy" Rias?" Lelouch murmured dryly under his breath, having heard her earlier comment while Issei had been attached to Asia to defend the pest, as the Familiar Master had called it. He was beginning to have doubts regarding Rias' ability to judge those who served her.

"That was dope." Koneko spoke, a smirk gracing her face as she crossed her arms in satisfaction. A scent rose to her nose and she pulled the collar up slightly to hide a blush and a small smile. ' _It still smells just like him_.' Her actions didn't go unnoticed.

Lelouch observed Koneko out of the corner of his eye, noting her slight grin as her nose twitched while one of her hands held up his collar, the other still crossed under her bust. ' _Is she… taking in my scent_?' He thought, almost dismissing the thought as ridiculous before remembering she had never been human. ' _Perhaps being a Nekoshou makes her more catlike than I had original thought_.' Koneko had the habit of ending with a mewing sort of sound when she was happy or excited and twitching her ears and tail when she spoke as a way to denote her mood, but this sort of behavior reminded Lelouch of Arthur back when he had lived in Ashford Academy.

"Now that your Familiar has been chosen, it is time to bring it in!" The voice of the Familiar Master spoke with his irritating gimmick, drawing Lelouch's attention. "Now, you there boy, a Familiar is not a toy." He looked at Lelouch seriously, taking note of the bird and the wolf. "Between the two you must choose, which means one of them you must lose." Bonding with two Familiars wasn't impossible, but it was uncommon as both would need to be bound at the same time.

"They have both accepted me. I shall not divide them." Lelouch felt that, as they had both chosen him, it would be wrong to deny them when he had granted them the choice to follow or not. "I would be disrespecting their decision if I abandoned one for the other." That sort of decision should be honored, choices were what marked the path one walked and if that was taken away… Well, Lelouch had done enough of that in his lifetime.

"Very well then, speak this chant in your name and your Familiars shall become tame." The Familiar Master spoke after a moment to ensure the young Devil's choice. He found it almost amusing, one Devil seeking a pest and losing it while the other returned with two and claimed both for himself. And yet another Devil being chosen by a dragon over one who housed a dragon's spirit. With that, he broke with his rhyming shtick for the moment in order to share the chant with his young guests.

Lelouch froze at the mention of having to declare his name in the chant to bind his Familiars. ' _Shit, shit, shit_.' Names were a powerful thing, but he had been concealing his. While Lamperouge had been his name for almost half his life at one point, it was merely an alias. A name given to a mask invented by him to grant himself and his sister anonymity. And what of the name Zero? A name he had chosen for himself that had allowed him to act more freely than the name Lelouch vi Britannia had when he had been but a young Prince. Even that name was tainted by the mask of the Demon Emperor.

"Does it have to be our real name?" Lelouch asked, unfortunately drawing the attention of the rest of the Peerage and Rias. He hadn't wanted it to come out like this, but he was unwilling to share his name with these people right now. There would be far too many questions, questions he was unwilling to answer at this time.

"Yes, it is important to use the true name if you want the Familiars to be tame." The Familiar Master stated with a frown, taking into account the dissatisfied features of the dark-haired youth. This was the first time he had been asked something like that, and it made him wonder just what this young Devil wished to hide.

"You mean Lelouch Lamperouge isn't your true name?" Rias spoke, hurt that the name of her Knight had been hidden from her. "Why would you hide yourself like that?" She had granted names to her friends at their request, but hiding one's name so effortlessly, living a lie without anyone being the wiser, it was something that made Rias feel like she didn't really even know Lelouch at all. ' _That's because I don't_.' Rias realized with a start, as she went over all she knew of her Knight. ' _He supposedly comes from Britain, he's a great student, single, has never shown any true interest in any of his subjects, a genius when it comes to chess and other things, friends with Koneko and Kiba, a Devil with ever strengthening magical power_.' With the exception of the knowledge that she had learned after Lelouch had become a Devil, she really didn't know anything about the young man who had been serving her a little over a month.

Hell, she knew _Issei_ better than Lelouch even though both had come into her Peerage at almost the same time.

Koneko stared up at her friend silently, her face not reflecting either her anticipation or her concern for how Lelouch was going to react. ' _He holds his name close to his heart, he doesn't like to share much about himself_.' She was willing to bet she knew more about him than anyone, save maybe Kiba or his little sister. Her best friend had trusted her with his past, albeit a heavily edited version, but she had a feeling he wasn't ready to trust the rest of Rias' Peerage as much as he trusted her.

Kiba looked at his friend sadly, somewhat hurt by the deception, but understanding it easily enough. ' _After all, haven't I done the same_.' His name, granted to him by his King, was something he would always cherish. As a result, he considered it to be his true name now, but in the past, he had been known by a different name, a name that was a part of him too. No matter the white-hot rage that burned through his damned soul as he thought about that other life.

"Lelouch is my given name, but the family name isn't Lamperouge." Lelouch had chosen to keep his and Nunnally's first names out of sentimentality, but the last name had been a creation of his own imagination. It held no power over his identity. But even he hadn't any idea what identity was truly his own anymore. ' _Who am I_?' Lelouch wondered to himself, looking down at the dark bird sitting upon the black wolf's head as both stared up at him from his side.

' _Exiled Prince, Student, Revolutionary, Emperor, Devil. Loving brother to Nunnally, or even Rolo, leader of a rebellion, a monster who became a martyr, or, in this world, a true Devil. Just who is the individual known by the name Lelouch_?' Lelouch let out a sardonic chuckle, disturbing the others around him slightly.

' _Am I Lelouch vi Britannia, loving brother to Nunnally and exiled Prince, Lelouch Lamperouge, a student who adores his younger sister and hides his past as a Prince, Zero, the masked leader of a rebellion who seeks to change the world, Lelouch Lamperouge, brother to Rolo and truly ordinary student, or am I Lelouch vi Britannia, Demon Emperor and man who would destroy the world to create it anew all for the sake of his younger sister's wish_?' He had worn so many masks, so many faces, the only thing he had known for certain, the one thing that had remained true in his heart no matter the atrocities he committed, was his undying love for Nunnally and his goal to fulfill her dream.

' _The true Lelouch is the one that is willing to do anything for Nunnally's sake_.' Lelouch realized as his eyes widened, finally uncovering the identity that he had lost beneath his masks. Physical or otherwise. ' _That is who I truly am, and that is why I have felt so lost in this world_.' It had been Nunnally who had given his life purpose, but he was finally being forced to live without her in this world of Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. There was no one to give him purpose, no one to drive him. He was seeking power, but for what? Power for power's sake meant nothing, Lelouch knew that. So what did he desire now that his reason for living was no longer in the same world as him?

The answer came to him almost in an instant.

"I have concealed my identity in order to avoid having to answer for my past." Lelouch spoke confidently, his voice quiet but holding everyone's attention. "My past is something I would rather not share, as it is not a past that would endear anyone to me." He eyed everyone in the clearing, the last two he looked at being Kiba and Koneko. "Where I am from and the things I have done, would make even Devils cringe in disgust." A lopsided grin graced his face as he tilted his head, another chuckle escaping his lips. "I guess you could say that even when I was human I was a demon." His laugh was short, but dark enough to disturb those who heard it. A sigh escaped the Devil Knight's lips. "Regardless, I have a question, Master of Familiars." Lelouch directed his sole attention to the man who had led them through the forest. "If one does not know their true name, or is so unsure they do not know if the name they give for the ritual is truly _their name_ , what would happen?" He wanted to know just in case he had been incorrect in his guess.

"I do not know." The man answered slowly, though still keeping with his pattern of speech. "The chances of a being like that existing are very low." He crossed his arms and tapped his chin with one hand, trying to give an honest answer to what he would expect to happen. "Though this has not happened before I imagine they would be very sore. The ritual would fail and the bond would grow weak and stale." He mimed something breaking apart before wrapping up his answer. "Again I ask are you sure?" He questioned seriously. "The responsibilities that come with this bond are quite mature." The Devil with Familiars were responsible for their Familiars' wellbeing, a Familiar disrespected was a Familiar disloyal, and a Familiar that was disloyal was worse than no Familiar at all.

"I'm sure." Lelouch stated with conviction, staring down at the two who would become his Familiars. "Are you prepared to follow me?" He asked again, to ensure that their choice had not changed. The dark bird made a sound of agreement, flying over his head in a loop before landing on his shoulder and the wolf merely barked once, remaining in its sitting position. "Very well, let's get this ritual over with." He would like to get some sleep before the night was out after all. "I still wish to do this in private, so please do not follow me." He announced before he turned away.

Issei grumbled as he stared at Lelouch's retreating back. "Man, what's up with that guy?" He didn't know the teen very well, but even he had been surprised by the fact that the name he had known him by was fake. It irritated him that the older boy had hidden something so fundamental as his name.

Rias grabbed Issei's shoulder before he could follow the mysterious boy who had become her Knight. "Don't Issei, he everyone has a past and if he wants to keep it secret we must respect his wishes." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took in the back of Lelouch as he walked off into the woods to conduct his Familiar ritual. ' _Though this is just yet another question I have to ask_.' She thought to herself, ignoring Issei's grumbling. What was Lelouch's true name?

Secrets weren't good for relationships and, while she had been mostly focused on Issei due to both his potential, thanks to his Sacred Gear, and his desperate need of help if he wanted to become a competent Devil (and maybe because she found him a little bit cute), perhaps it was time she tried to strike up a more cordial relationship between herself and her new Knight.

There were a few questions she would like to have answered, questions she'd had ever since she had brought the dark-haired boy into her Peerage. And she wanted to get to know the mysterious teen, because her Peerage were her friends, her family. Lelouch had been on the outside looking in for quite a bit considering his aloof personality and general lack of interest, the most he had been involved with her was that dodgeball tournament. In contrast, he had a much greater relationship with Koneko and Kiba, and perhaps even Akeno. A Devil without a relationship with their King was liable to become a Stray, and she would need to ensure that didn't happen.

Rias didn't want her reputation besmirched by the fact that a Stray Devil came from her Peerage and she also wanted to avoid the pain it would bring both to herself and her friends. The first step to avoid that path would lay in getting her questions answered, but not at this time. For now, it was the least she could do to wait. Back home, though, that was a different story.

Ignoring Issei's comment, Lelouch walked alone towards a separate clearing in order to complete the ritual. Ignorant to Rias' plotting to get closer with him, the Devil Knight walked slowly through the underbrush, stopping every few moments to wait and listen for anyone following him. Not hearing anyone, he continued forward until he eventually reached a clearing that was illuminated by the light of the full moon.

"Okay, this should be far enough." Lelouch murmured to himself while the wolf and the dark bird took a place in front of him. The wolf sat on its hind legs, staring up at him expectantly while the feathered Familiar flapped its wings to land to the right of the wolf. It hopped around for a moment or two before similarly directing its attention to him. "Let's begin." He took a deep breath and connected himself with the power deep in his soul.

His earlier identity crisis solved, Lelouch held out his right hand directed straight towards the dark bird and the black wolf. ' _What I seek… is the future_.' Lelouch thought to himself, his conviction becoming stronger as he made his decision. ' _That is the kind of man I am_.' It had been the decision he had made in the World of C, when confronted by his Father and Mother's plan to unite the living and dead within the Collective Unconsciousness of Humanity. He had deemed that plan foolish, based on a desire to continue wallowing in the past. But that's exactly how he had been acting ever since he had found himself trapped in this strange world. "I shall not be held back by my past any longer." He declared with finality, knowing with absolute certainty who he truly was. It was a feeling he hadn't had in a long time.

Lelouch vi Britannia, a man whose masks were numerous as they were contradictory but whose true identity was rooted in his love for his little sister and his desire for a future, flared his magical power, a dark magic circle taking root around his two soon to be Familiars.

"In the name of Lelouch vi Britannia, I request that you accept this Contract to become my Familiars and serve me forevermore." His red eyes flashed and his right hand burned slightly as he felt the bond take hold, binding the Blood Raven and the Night Wolf to his power. A burst of magical light scattered around the clearing while a dark laugh echoed in the nigh empty forest.

* * *

Ophis hummed lightly as she felt the presence of her power return to the city, revitalizing the stale air with a fresh "scent". "So, he has not fled after all." Her soft voice sounded to the empty air as she maintained her perch near a mansion on the outskirts of Kuoh. "It looks like I won't have to destroy this city after all." A small frown came across her face. "A pity." She had been irritated quite a bit over the course of these few weeks by the inhabitants of Kuoh. It was why she found herself seeking solitude along the outskirts of the city.

There was a lot of equipment lying around and the dwelling whose basement she had claimed for her own looked to be undergoing repairs, but this strange machine allowed her a great view of the city without having to utilize her magical power and tip off any observers who would interrupt her search for her quarry. She didn't want to alert the pretenders or the stand-in to her presence here, it would just complicate her search further.

Even if they were just minor annoyances to a being like her.

Standing atop a crane, the Dragon God observed the city of Kuoh and watched as the faded light of the Void scattered throughout the air grew in strength. Ophis narrowed her eyes, focusing as much as she dared without drawing on too much power to avoid clouding the scent any further than the wind already had.

When she had first begun searching for her power in the city, she quickly realized something rather annoying. Something that wasn't the pitiful lifeforms that were in her way. The power of the Void had been blown all over the city of Kuoh by the wind, indicating regular usage of the power she had gifted the Demon Emperor and concealing the source of the power from her senses unless she dared to contact an ally who would be able to differentiate the false trails created by the wind from the trail that would lead her to her target.

Ophis let out something akin to a huff, she didn't want anyone knowing of this project of hers. And she also doubted that her power, potent as it was, could be parsed out by any other than her. Besides, the Demon Emperor known as Lelouch vi Britannia was an interesting man, one whose service she had claimed for herself, and she wasn't willing to share that easily, after quite a few interesting events gave her the opportunity.

In the past, Ophis had observed the conduct of the man named Charles zi Britannia in the World of C, a ridiculously small portion of her domain within the Dimensional Gap, as he attempted to slay the Collective of Humanity, what he mistakenly called the Collective Unconscious, with a weapon he deemed the "Sword of Akasha". An arrogant name if she ever heard one, naming a weapon to kill a God after the Root of All Things was extremely pretentious in her view. Regardless, she had observed him in hopes that this weapon of his could be turned on the Great Red.

However, there had been a flaw in the man's plans. The Emperor who preceded the Demon Emperor did not count on his son thwarting his goal and dismantling the weapon system he had spent his life building. And how that son had managed to do it sparked the interest of Ophis and other interdimensional observers.

The young man, who called himself Zero, the Man of Miracles, had _commanded a God_ with his power. While the command was one the God wished to follow regardless, the fundamental nature of the man's power was that of **Command**. Something like that could not be ignored, especially by a fellow God. So, during one of her rare bouts of freedom from Great Red's irritating presence as the oaf of a Dragon practiced a backflip or something equally absurd, Ophis had turned her attention to the world in which the man she would later learn was named Lelouch vi Britannia.

There had been others observing as well, other dimensional observers. She had felt their eyes, but as they didn't step into her domain she did not care if they witnessed the same thing as her when she watched the death of Zero, the Man of Miracles, and the birth of the Enemy of the World, the Demon Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia.

The Dragon God watched with genuine interest as the young man who had done what was believed to be impossible went on to become the sole ruler of his world. She had watched his descent into madness and darkness as he became a twisted ruler known as the Demon Emperor. Ophis had little care for what he did to his world, only watching so that she could learn more about this mysterious power that he had at his disposal.

The more she learned by watching the Demon Emperor, the more she wanted to obtain that man as an ally, but she could not step into the world that he ruled. It was one of many dimensions she could observe, but not enter. It was why she had yet to tap the numerous resources that could have helped eliminate the red pest in her home that existed throughout the many worlds the Dimensional Gap was linked to. Throughout her existence she had only found a few dimensions she could move about freely, beyond her own at least, and the Realm of the Twin Immortals was not one of them.

Unless the Demon Emperor returned to the World of C, as the small area of her domain had been referred to by those who were aware of it in that world, she could not make contact with him. So, with difficulty, she found herself learning how to be patient. There was a chance, a miniscule chance but still a chance, that the power held by the Demon Emperor could assist in her cause. So, she waited to see if he would return to her domain.

And, while not as expected, the man had indeed returned to her domain after his death. Not in a way she had thought possible, but she had nonetheless managed to take advantage of the opportunity presented to her. But when her little project had failed she had attempted to return him to his world only to be distracted by Great Red, resulting in the Demon Emperor falling through a portal she had summoned in an attempt to force the giant red irritant to leave her home.

Assuming he was dead, Ophis had abandoned the project, but after sensing the power she had bestowed upon Lelouch vi Britannia awakening, with a distinctly Devil-like feel to it, the Dragon God felt herself drawn to the world the young man had ended up in.

Ophis' musings on the past were interrupted as, after a violent spark of activity, she finally managed to pinpoint a source through the haze of Void energy scattered across the city. A small smile graced the face of the Dragon God. "I've found you." Dragon wings burst from her back, not destroying the back of the clothing she had created as both were crafted from her own power, allowing her to jump off the strange machine she was standing on to fly down safely so she could return to the basement of her current dwelling.

There was a storm on the horizon, meaning she should head inside if she didn't want to get wet. She didn't like getting wet. So, rather than have to deal with the coming storm during her search, Ophis would use the patience she had learned in the Dimensional Gap observing the young man who she wanted to assist her and wait until the time was right. Now that she had a lock on the signature she was seeking, it would be easy to observe him to learn when her chance would present itself.

Soon the Dragon of Infinity would finally meet her Demon Emperor, face to face.

* * *

 **I know that most everyone by this point probably had an inkling that Ophis was responsible for Lelouch being in the DxD world by now, but I thought it might be interesting to delve a little deeper into her motivations as well as the capabilities granted to her by being the ruler of the Dimensional Gap.**

 **Now, for a few things.**

 **I know most expected me to make Lelouch's Familiar that silver bird, but I didn't want to be cliché and give the man a phoenix as a Familiar right out of the gates. That's a little over the top for where this story is right now.**

 **The thing about his name is something I had thought about for a while now. Lelouch didn't have any reason to confront it before now, but when it comes to spells names are serious business. That's why I had Lelouch mention the subject of needing to use your real name to bond with the Familiar, but not share his name with the rest of the Peerage. His trust in them isn't high enough to share his past and his name is a mark that his past is something far different from anything they could expect.**

 **I'm going to clear this up right now, Ophis is not interested in Lelouch for the purpose of screwing him. She witnessed the power of his Geass in the World of C, which, as mentioned in story, is part of the Dimensional Gap, and wants to have him use that power on Great Red to force him to finally leave her home and leave her alone.**

 **And yes, Ophis can observe other dimensions and has named a few of them based on certain characteristics she has noticed (such as the presence of two True Immortals bearing Codes at any point throughout history in the Code Geass world, hence the Realm of the Twin Immortals) out of sheer boredom. The names are simply something she came up with for her own amusement.**

 **There is also a reference to the Fate universe (Akasha, the Root of All Things), but it won't have any further bearing on this story.**

 **And one more thing, would people get off my back about the pairing already? First, I have people complaining because apparently Koneko liking him (or Ophis being interested in him) makes him a lolicon. No, it doesn't. Koneko's feelings (and Ophis' interest) have no bearing on Lelouch's own feelings. Then I have people asking to know ahead of time what the pairing will be which I don't even know right now. Relationships are complicated and Lelouch is complicated enough being single, whether he ends up with anyone right now is pretty much up in the air. So, please stop asking. I am _not_ going to address this any further. ****Finally, I know this chapter is rather short, but the next update should be out by either early June or even a little before June.**

 **I'm pretty sure that's everything. Now, review if you enjoyed it please.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	8. Chapter 8: Possession, Perversion, & Pho

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

Sorry this is so late, my classes are hyper-accelerated right now (one three week class and one four week class, both cramming in enough content for a sixteen week, and I'm doing both at the same time) and so once they started it took forever for me to catch a break long enough to work on this and my other story.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter, even if it's a bit late. It's just around twenty thousand words.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Possession, Perversion, & Phoenix Flames**

* * *

It was still only a little after midnight when everyone arrived back in Kuoh after leaving the Familiar world, which meant that everyone was wide awake. Lelouch hung at the back of the group for now, his Familiars choosing to remain by his side rather than be kept in the Familiar world waiting to be called upon. His Blood Raven sat upon his shoulder, eyeing each member of Rias' Peerage oddly, while his Night Wolf padded along behind him, his eyes narrowing as they tracked Koneko's every step.

' _So, what should I call them_?' Lelouch wondered silently to himself, or so he thought.

' _You can call me Ketsu/Mika_.' The raven and wolf responded respectively over the link, surprising Lelouch.

' _Must we remain near that feline_?' Lelouch heard his canine Familiar's query through their connection before he could reply after they shared their names. ' _In spite of her Devil nature, I don't like her scent. She smells too much like a Nekomata._ ' Her voice was annoyed as she tried to convey her rather intense dislike for anything feline to her Master.

A magic circle flared in front of Rias, causing the group to pause so she could take the message, while Lelouch replied to the canine. ' _Koneko is a friend Mika, she is one of the few that I trust in this world_.' A mild growl of dissatisfaction was the only response he got from the wolf as she chose to leave it at that.

A mild nip at his ear drew his attention to Ketsu at his shoulder. ' _Is friend all that she is to you_?' The raven asked, a teasing tone in his 'voice'. ' _She's got a cute little ass_.' Lelouch coughed slightly to cover up his shock at the dark bird's comment.

' _What the hell_?!' He almost shouted through the link at the apparently perverted bird. He quickly realized just what the bird had been staring at the entire time they were walking. ' _Have you been staring at everyone like that the entire time_?' His internal tone incredulous as Ketsu nodded proudly, his eyes not blinking as it continued to stare forward.

' _Yeah, her breasts aren't the biggest of the group, but her ass certainly has its charm_.' The perverted raven observed before being forced to take flight as Lelouch shook him off his shoulder as he started to rank the assets, whether it be hair, breasts, or asses, of Rias' Peerage for his Master. Rather than expend energy flying or fighting his Master on the subject, the raven took a place on the back Mika. ' _I don't get why you don't like the kitten_.' He spoke towards the wolf, causing his new ride to let out a snort.

' _Cats are vicious, self-entitled, arrogant, and always act like they rule the world_.' The wolf replied to her new passenger, turning her head to the side in disgust. ' _The only reason being in her presence is tolerable is that her scent is more Devil than Nekomata_.' Mika wasn't likely to change this stance of hers, but that didn't mean the Blood Raven wasn't determined to transform the stubborn canine's opposition.

Ketsu would convert Mika and force her to acknowledge the beauty of the feminine form if it was the last thing he did!

As the argument broke out between whether judging by appearance of assets or supernatural race was a better sign of character, Lelouch pinched the bridge of his nose. ' _Great, first I have a Familiar that's prejudiced against felines and now I have a perverted bird in my head that likes to stare at girls' asses_.' Maybe he hadn't been as lucky as he thought when he chose to accept two Familiars. Lelouch sighed slightly, noting Rias' mood perking up in interest, allowing him to ignore the raven attempting to convince his other familiar that Koneko couldn't be all bad with such a cute ass.

He'd have to learn how to tune out his Familiars soon or he would end up losing his mind. Lelouch didn't want to have an Issei clone stuck in his head. Perhaps sending them back to the Familiar world wouldn't be such a bad option.

"Looks like we have a request everyone!" Rias spoke, turning around with a grin, heedless of how her breasts bounced heavily with the speed of her turn. "I want everyone who needs new clothes to head home to change and meet back here as soon as you can. This could be difficult, so we can't use Familiars for it." Rias didn't say anything more before nodding to Akeno who conjured up a teleportation circle to transport everyone home so they could change.

With the benefits of such magic, it only took a few minutes to have everyone dressed in their school uniforms before they were all teleported to what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian section of a museum. ' _Huh, interesting_.' Lelouch thought to himself as he took in all of the artifacts that were visible. When he studied the history of this world to find out its differences, he had been more focused on modern history, but the tales of the empires of old had intrigued him nonetheless.

' _Ugh, cat worshipping bastards_.' Mika growled in a disgusted tone. ' _Why couldn't they worship the noble wolf_?' The wolf whined plaintively as she stared at a stone tablet that had an image of Bast, the ancient Egyptian Goddess of warfare who had the head of a cat.

Lelouch was spared from having to respond to his Familiar by the appearance of the man who summoned for Rias.

The man had short brown hair, blue eyes, with a short mustache that was divided at the center of his lip. He was dressed in a lab coat with a suit underneath, though Lelouch couldn't see any identification the easy familiarity the apparent Professor had with Rias was enough for him to be satisfied. He assumed that Rias had set up a standing contract of some sort to break ancient curses or something akin to that.

When Nishiura led the Peerage to a private backroom that held an elaborate sarcophagus in the center, Lelouch felt his suspicions were confirmed. Although, he found the description of the curse to be rather… mundane compared to something he would have expected out of an ancient curse designed to protect the remains of a respected ruler.

Lelouch remained silent as the Professor and Rias discussed the odd curse that seemed to only affect men and older women, but he couldn't help feeling the disturbing sensation emanating from the ancient coffin. He wasn't the only one, everyone in the room, even the Professor, could sense the twisted aura pouring out of the damn thing.

The Devil Knight felt his skin… _itch_ to an uncomfortable degree. It almost felt like small needles were being shoved under every part of his skin.

Rias slowly walked over the sarcophagus and bent over to get a better look at some inscription or another. When her breasts brushed up against a small symbol on the cover, a red light burst out and the top of the coffin opened with a disturbing and ominous creak. The scene was bathed in a light that matched the color of blood and the creaking sound the cover made as it slid off sent a shiver of… _something_ down Lelouch's spine.

Whatever spells had been cast on that coffin just felt… _unnatural_.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Lelouch walked up to the side of the coffin to peer inside. He closed his eyes and sighed slightly in relief when he realized the mummified corpse wasn't moving like some kind of bad zombie movie. But when he opened them again, he caught the eye of the corpse and a stream of the same red light that had glowed when the sarcophagus was unsealed burst forth and burned itself into Lelouch's eyes.

He screamed and pressed his hands against his eyelids, thrashing violently around as he tried to fight off whatever spell had been cast on him.

"Lelouch what's wrong?!" Rias shouted, trying to get close to him to help before he violently shoved her away and screamed in terror. An emotion Rias had never thought she'd hear from the composed Lelouch. She landed roughly on the ground, Issei holding her shoulders so she didn't smack her head on the ground. All she, Lelouch's Familiars, and her Peerage could do was stare as Lelouch's body became engulfed in a mixture of dark, smoky energy and unnatural red light.

And the red light was slowly consuming the darker energy.

"No! Get out! Out! Out! Stay out of my mind!" The last thing Lelouch remembered before his body and mind were possessed by the long dead priest was an unyielding fury burning in his chest and a primal scream ripping its way out of his throat.

The dark energy of the Void was suppressed as it was forcibly returned to Lelouch and he was bathed in the blood-red light that had erupted from the coffin.

"Oh me, oh my, what wonderful, twisted fortune!" The voice of Lelouch shouted in a tone none of Rias' Peerage had ever heard from the young man before as the light outlining his form began to dim. "It seems my luck just keeps getting better and better!" The _thing_ that had possessed Lelouch let out a perverted giggle, greatly disturbing everyone who knew the normally reticent young man.

A growl alerted the parasite to the wolf that charged his new body and the raven flying around his head looking for an opportunity to strike. With barely a thought, the spirit dismissed his new body's Familiars back to their world. He didn't have any experience with them, but by drawing on the depths of knowledge held within this new body of his it was an easy task to get rid of two Familiars whose loyalty to him was most definitely in doubt.

Though that wasn't _all_ the spirit of the priest learned as he finished adjusting to his new body. There was so much knowledge inside this young man, knowledge that he _knew_ only because of his possession spell.

To think he'd land inside the body of a man who had once conquered the world before traveling dimensions. It was truly a pity he couldn't utilize the powers he could sense deep inside this body without rousing the keen mind he had just suppressed.

"What have you done to my Knight?" Rias hissed, her anger peaking to where it was when everyone had confronted Raynare. Nobody was allowed to torment her family like this. Nobody! Her **Power of Destruction** began sparking around her hands, drawing the entity's attention. That grin was… unsettling on her dear Knight's face.

"Oh? And what will you do to this body if you don't like the answer?" The priest quipped, hiding his discomfort with bravado as he sensed the power held in the redhead's hands. "Are you going to try to kill me?" He laughed darkly as another Devil began flexing her powers, a flash of lightning bursting from Akeno's hands. "If you kill me, you'll kill the Prince." He lectured, a twisted laugh escaped Lelouch's lips. "But it wouldn't be the first time that he's died. Who knows? Maybe third time's the charm." He uttered in a low tone, shocking everyone who heard what he said.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at that statement, the power flickering away from both Rias and Akeno's hands as they tried to process what they just heard. ' _Third time_?' "W-What did you just say?" Rias stammered, trying to get ahold of herself so she could free her Knight from this _thing_.

"You truly have no idea who this man is do you?" He chuckled as he taunted them further. "Oh, the secrets hidden inside this man's mind would _shock you to your core_." His twisted grin grew even wider as he observed the angry looks of the Devils in front of him. Ignoring the bombshell he just dropped, the spirit waved dismissively. "Regardless, I don't care about your petty relationships with this body." He held his hands out in front of him with a frown. "All I want is to rest in peace." It would be a shame to leave this body and its powers behind, but he would be far more comfortable in his own form.

Koneko glared as she witnessed Lelouch's form being used so… _wrongly_. Every facial expression, every body movement, every minute twitch of the energy inside of that body was just a cruel taunt that the one in control wasn't her best friend. The voice may have remained the same, but the foul energy currently in control made her wish she could do something, _anything_ , to set Lelouch free. When he mentioned Lelouch's secrets, a growl escaped her lips.

No matter how curious she was about Lelouch she would never want to learn about his past like this.

Kiba felt the same way as Koneko. When the spirit possessing his friend mentioned resting in peace Kiba seized upon the chance to divert the conversation away from Lelouch's secrets and spoke up. "Who are you?" His question drew the attention of the parasite in Lelouch's body. "And how can we set my friend free?" If that thing wanted to rest in peace, Kiba would oblige. Though he hoped he would have the opportunity to _personally_ send the spirit to the afterlife.

"I am Unas, a noble priest who had his spirit cursed to remain in his body after a particularly nasty encounter with a beyond sexy Devil woman." A blush flushed Lelouch's cheeks and his nostrils flared as Unas became lost in memories. "Oh me, oh my were her tits _amazing_! All I wanted was to play with them, but _no_. She had to be all mean and nasty and seal my spirit away so I couldn't rest in peace." The apparently perverted spirit declared dramatically and a pathetic pout that bore a striking resemblance to Issei's when he didn't get something, usually perverted, that he wanted appeared on his face. "If you want to free your dear Knight, then you must lift my curse." Turning, the body of Lelouch was forced to dig around in the coffin for a moment, shaking Lelouch's ass in a way none of them ever expected to see again, before a sound of satisfaction escaped his lips as the spirit turned and yanked out the _skimpiest_ outfit any of them had ever seen.

Even Issei, who had viewed by far the most erotic forms of clothing on the amazing pornographic library that was the internet, had never seen an outfit that more resembled elegant string.

"To lift my curse and set your dear Knight free, there are three tasks you must accomplish." A deep breath blew out of Lelouch's nose and his cheeks were flushed a deep crimson again. A perverted grin stretched across his face. It was… _disturbing_.

What followed was, for Rias, one of the most embarrassing things she had ever experienced.

And she once had to deal with the fallout of Sirzechs walking out of the shower butt ass naked during one of the times she had Sona over for a sleepover when she was younger. That… had been mentally scarring beyond belief.

Swaying her hips to an invisible beat and bouncing her breasts in tune to the music in her head, Rias Gremory, daughter of one of the legendary Seventy-Two Pillars of Devil Society, danced for a spirit possessing the body of her second Knight so that she could break the first part of a three-pronged curse and force the spirit to set Lelouch free. Her blush was concealed by the cloth veil covering the lower part of her face, but once the damn parasite signaled it was enough, as she could clearly see one of the portions on the coffin's magic circle shatter, she almost immediately ran back into the closet to change her clothes back to normal.

She'd really find a spell for that one of these days considering how often her clothing was getting destroyed lately.

"Excellent, excellent!" The spirit used Lelouch's body to clap giddily. "I can already hear the soothing call of the beyond." Unas lied, his grin widening as he observed the redhead come out of the closet back in her school uniform. "The next two tasks are far easier than that, though you did wonderfully dear Rias." The perverted priest drooled as he replayed the bouncing tits of the redhead over and over in his mind before getting on with it. "All I need is a kiss from a young maiden and one final thing." His fingers twitched happily as he thought of the final condition that would _finally_ set him free. "Who to choose." He mumbled observing the girls available for him to pick from, dismissing Rias immediately as he didn't want to use the same one twice. Eventually, his eyes landed on the white-haired girl whose eyes were glaring at him in a _delightful_ way. "Oh me, oh my, that passion!" He declared, pointing at the fifteen-year-old. "Yes, yes, it must absolutely be you!" He rushed forward until he was only a foot away and began to lean in, opening his mouth wide for a big, sloppy, kiss.

Koneko hissed in revulsion as she stared up as Lelouch was forced to make such a disgusting face. She didn't want to give up her first kiss like this, especially to this disgusting parasite, but she also wanted to help set Lelouch free. So, she settled for a compromise.

Unas grunted in pain as his right cheek suddenly began throbbing and moaned as a soft pair of lips kissed his cheek that had just been punched, breaking the second part of his curse. A grimace split his face, and he winced momentarily, before he shook it off. It wasn't what he had been going for, but he was almost free. He could take as much more than just kisses once he was set free. He doubted these Devils would be able to stand up to his ancient magic.

"Ow." Unas mumbled as he rubbed his cheek, his face mildly flushed as he recalled the softness of the white-haired girl's lips. ' _They would have been so much tastier on my own lips_.' Unas thought to himself, feeling mildly upset before shaking himself out of his reverie. "Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!" He acted giddy. "Oh, I can hear my eternal rest. It's so close I can almost taste it!" It would be so nice when he didn't need to uphold this charade anymore, but he had to keep it up lest he be sealed once more.

The priest doubted these Devils would be so willing to set him free if they didn't think he would be going to the afterlife.

"Just one last thing to go." He said, raising up his arms and squeezing his fingers rapidly. "I must squeeze the beautiful, bountiful breasts of one other young female Devil before I can finally rest in peace." The perverted grin, which had pretty much imprinted itself on to his face, shifted as he looked at the woman who he observed to be the most… _gifted_ of the group who had given him this chance to be free.

Akeno smiled beatifically, hiding her anger at the parasite, as she was selected to fulfill the final condition. She hoped to one day find a way to break into whatever afterlife this damn priest ended up in so that she could beat the hell out of him for this, she didn't like seeing Lelouch's body being forced to act in such a way.

She had developed a sense of respect for the young man during their training sessions and to see his body being treated like a puppet pissed her off.

Unas eagerly reached out and grasped Akeno's breasts, squeezing, twisting, and pulling to his heart's content, greatly enjoying the moans he was drawing out of the dark-haired Devil beauty. He felt the last of his curse's bindings shatter and Lelouch's body began to radiate bright with energy and Unas began screaming in pleasure. "Oh, yes! I'm finally free!" Unas' laugh echoed loudly and an explosion erupted, blowing out the front part of the office which prompted a quick retreat from everyone in the room.

Rias had sent the Professor away when she had to change into the skimpy dancer's outfit and said she'd tell him what happened later. She was glad that she had done so as she doubted he'd have been able to escape that blast quickly enough to survive.

"What just happened?" Rias felt her ears were ringing and had to blink a few times before she stopped seeing double. "Did something go wrong?" She asked as she looked to her side. Sweat dropped from the side of her head as she caught Akeno panting with a rather deep blush.

"I hope Lelouch is that passionate." Akeno murmured to herself, feeling flushed. That spirit may have been a damn parasite, but it sure knew how to use its hands. She was looking forward to finding out. Sadistic, smart, and good with his hands? Oh yes, she definitely wanted to find out more.

Koneko twitched slightly as she heard Akeno's comment, mixed feelings of relief and jealousy crashed in her mind. Relief that the parasite that possessed her best friend didn't pick her, but still jealous of how much she lacked in comparison to Akeno. ' _Not on my watch, you S &M nut_.' Koneko thought to herself before she directed her attention to the shadow walking out of the dust kicked up by the explosion.

"Le-Lelouch?" Asia stammered next to Issei, who had dragged her out of the blast zone so fast her head was still spinning.

"Hey man, you okay?" Issei shouted, hoping that whoever was walking out of the room was their friend. Even if he was still upset Lelouch hid who he was, he still considered the guy to be "one of the good pretty boys" and he didn't want him to get hurt like this. He was beyond jealous that the guy got to feel up Akeno's beautiful tits, but he was more pissed off that Lelouch was possessed, especially with how terrified the Knight had sounded as he was being possessed.

The fear in Lelouch's voice struck a chord in Issei and the pervert had to wonder just what Lelouch had experienced to make him so scared of people messing with his mind.

Bandages flashed out of the smoke and rushed towards Asia, prompting Issei to cover her with his body reflexively. He didn't care if he got hurt, he just wanted to protect Asia from whatever attack was coming their way.

A clash sounded from behind him and Issei turned once he realized he wasn't struck by the bandages, he blinked at Kiba who was looking back at him with one eye while he kept the other on the bandages he was holding at bay with one of his swords. "Hurry, activate your Boosted Gear." Kiba grunted as the bandages went lax for a moment, putting him off balance, and retracted back into the clearing smoke.

"R-Right." Issei focused his small amount of power into his arm, summoning the red gauntlet that had saved his life numerous times already since he became a Devil.

A twisted laugh echoed out from the smoke as it cleared, revealing the body Unas had recovered after he was released from possessing Lelouch. His appearance was about what everyone had expected considering the age of the mummy and the traditional attire of ancient Egypt, though he had regained a youthful appearance physically speaking. His chest and arms were bare save for the bandages he could apparently use as weapons and the wraparound skirt held up by a belt along with a pair of sandals that had straps that crisscrossed their way up his shins provided the only clothing Unas was wearing.

The ancient Egyptian priest took a deep breath once the smoke cleared and breathed out a deep sigh. "Ah, it's so nice to finally be free from the curse that bitch from the House of Agares placed on me." A grin split his face for the first time in millennia. "Now, I shall take my vengeance upon Devilkind starting with all of you." With barely a thought, he sent out his bandages to attack the Devils standing before him.

" **BOOST!** " Issei's left arm sounded out, signaling the first increase in power of hopefully many. When Unas struck Kiba remained in front of him to deflect the bandages away to allow his power to increase without interruption.

"Take Asia and move, as soon as you're strong enough you can help out." Kiba breathed calmly after giving his order to Issei. When he heard the Bishop squeak and the Pawn sprint off, jumping around the rare bandage that managed to sneak its way past his defenses, Kiba grinned. He ran in the opposite direction, forcing Unas to divide his attack even further by giving him a greater number of targets. With a sense of calm, he steadily hacked and slashed his way through every strike Unas sent his way, jumping over those that were too low for him to attack without risking his blade getting stuck in the ground.

Eventually, he managed to make his way to Rias and managed to divert an attack Unas had sent at her back with ease. Lowering his blade to his side as he stood back to back with his King, he asked her the only question that mattered right now. "What's the plan, President?" He hoped Lelouch was alright, he still had yet to see his fellow Knight return but he maintained his faith in his friend.

Rias blasted away a cluster of bandages with her powers, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes as she huffed in irritation. "Right now, the plan is to keep these damn things off of all of us until an opening presents itself." She blasted away another cluster, bemoaning the fact that she couldn't just unleash her power without posing a risk to the Knight who was still trapped in that room. "I can't use my full power until I know Lelouch is out of the blast radius."

Until she saw Lelouch escape, she was not willing to use her **Power of Destruction** to take out Unas. It was far too risky.

Kiba grunted slightly as he suddenly found the bandages trying to rip the sword from his hands. Rather than fight it, he dissolved the blade and summoned a different one with his Sword Birth and slashed at the bandages, prompting them to harden and hold their own against him. Much like a blade. "If I could slip past him I could drag Lelouch out of there and we could blow this bastard away." He pushed forward, slashing hard before he was rapidly forced back on the defensive as he faced even more attacks. He summoned a second blade and began dual wielding in an effort to hold off the attacks, still backed up against Rias.

Without being able to go all out, this battle was getting troublesome.

As Kiba made his way over to Rias after sending off Issei and Asia so that their healer was protected by the perverted Dragon, Koneko found herself wishing she had a Knight's speed as she learned her punches were incapable of destroying the irritatingly powerful bandages. She dodged yet another strike with a backflip and found herself back to back with Akeno some distance away from Rias. "Bet you're loving this." Koneko snarked as she smacked another bandage away from her. "This spell is right up your alley." The Nekoshou felt Akeno's back tremble as the sadistic Devil giggled, blasting away an attack with her lightning.

"Eh, I'm actually less into bondage and more into pain." Akeno admitted with a giggle. Now, if it was in furtherance of causing pain? That was different.

As soon as Unas suddenly began focusing more on Kiba, Koneko saw an opening. Charging forward, the Nekoshou pulled back her fist and prepared to knock the perverted priest's head off. Unfortunately for her, the opening she saw was a feint. More bandages spawned from Unas' back and bound Koneko tightly and the fifteen-year-old Devil gasped as she felt her connection to her magic get sealed off.

What followed once Koneko was trapped was bandages bursting from the floor, encircling Rias and Akeno, suspending them in the air just like the determined Rook.

The ground was ripped up as it became apparent how Unas managed what he did. While everyone was focused on the bandages above ground, he had steadily been forcing another set to burrow beneath the ground until it was right underneath his targets. He had used the ones above ground to either lead his targets to where he had them buried or forced them to remain in one place so that the ones he had underground only had to travel in one direction rather than chase the Devils around the room.

Kiba sped off as soon as he felt the ground crumble beneath his feet, but he was unable to prevent Rias from being dragged up into the air and suspended for the perverted priest's viewing pleasure. He growled in anger as he tried to cut the damn bandages to set his friends free, but it was useless. These bandages were reinforced with an ancient magic that made them equally strong as, if not stronger than, his blades. Nothing he was comfortable with would be able to cut them and if he used some of his stronger blades there was a chance he could harm his allies.

A scream erupted a little ways away and Kiba heard Issei shout "Asia!" prompting the blond Knight to turn and he began to sweat as he realized only he and Issei remained free of Unas' attacks. Quickly, the Knight sped off and dragged Issei away as another set burst forth from the ground as it attempted to trap the Pawn as well.

Issei's eyes flashed with anger and another " **BOOST!** " sounded off from his left arm, making it the third boost so far. Standing next to Kiba, Issei growled. "Damn it!" Looking up at his fellow Devils trapped by the ancient priest, a switch flipped as soon as he saw the view provided. ' _Panties_.' Issei started to drool as he started to mentally record the panties of the girls who were currently trapped by Unas' bandages. ' _Aaand, recorded_.' This material would be serving him well for _weeks_ to come.

Suddenly, everything shifted as a dark claw burst forth from Unas' chest.

Koneko and the rest of those being held by Unas' bandages blinked in shock as the makeshift bonds went limp as an Udon noodle cooked to perfection and dropped the four women to the ground harshly. Koneko managed to land on her feet thanks to her species natural reflexes while Rias stumbled for a moment before Akeno took them both to the ground by landing on top of her. Issei dove forward to catch Asia but ended up missing and the former nun landed right on Issei's head, knocking him out in a way she was sure he wouldn't complain about anytime soon.

Turning her attention to the zombie priest who had held them all at bay rather well, she smirked as she saw the hand protruding from his sternum and the bloodthirsty eyes of Lelouch flaring crimson in the shadows behind him. ' _Way to go Lelouch_.' Koneko thought, ignoring the strong scent of blood that reached her nose as a result of Lelouch's fatal sneak attack.

Lelouch panted desperately as he flexed the hand that had pierced through the resurrected spirit that had possessed him so completely. His eyes were a bright, searing red and his gauntlet was almost vibrating with joy as it felt his Wrath compel him to obliterate the priest before him. Blood poured forth from his wound before being absorbed by the crystal gem on the back of the hand of Lelouch's gauntlet. " **You, you**." His rage was so all-encompassing it was difficult for Lelouch to speak coherently. " **You violated the sanctity of my mind**." He growled only just loud enough to be heard, the entire battlefield having fallen silent as soon as he had shoved his arm through the old spirit's chest. His gauntlet glowed with his dark power of the Void and _pulsed_.

Almost like a heartbeat.

" **You took over my body, desecrated the sanctity of my mind, and for that…** " Here Lelouch paused as a mad and positively _evil_ laugh escaped his lips, matching the dark, twisted grin that had split his face. " **For that, I will** ** _obliterate your soul from existence_** **!** " An explosion of Void energy immediately burst from the vibrating gauntlet and tore the body and soul of the resurrected parasite apart as Lelouch's manic laughter rang throughout the room.

" **All those who dare touch my mind and memories, shall die by my hand**." Lelouch's voice rang out ominously through the smoke once he stopped laughing.

Once the dust settled, three things became apparent.

One, Lelouch was absolutely exhausted, swaying dizzily on his bare feet. Rias would bet that he had been fighting from the inside every second he had been possessed and so drained himself almost completely, hence why it had taken him so much time to enter, and immediately end, the battle.

Two, his clothing had been vaporized, likely in either the blast that had freed Unas or the one he had used to utterly obliterate the ancient priest. And the third thing followed directly from that observation.

Three, it became apparent that a sense for the dramatic combined with megalomania wasn't the only thing he inherited from his father. Clearly there was a reason why none of the Britannian Emperor's wives rebelled due to being sexually unsatisfied. It was also revealed that, yes, black was indeed his natural hair color.

"Oh my." Akeno murmured, eyes wide as she got a rather clear look at the size of Lelouch's apparently not so little Lelouch. "I can't wait to find out if he knows how to use it." Her face was flushed as she licked her lips gleefully, her mind running wild with possibilities. She hoped that his predilection for pain went both ways like hers, that would make things so much more _fun_ in the long run after all.

"Thick." Koneko's face was flushed even more than Akeno's as, while she had removed his boxers so he didn't stain her bed with his blood when she was first healing him all those weeks ago, she had studiously avoided looking at Lelouch's "equipment" because she wanted to respect his privacy. Now though, she kind of wished she had taken the chance to peek. When she heard Akeno, Koneko glared at the dark-haired Devil beauty. ' _Touch him and I'll pop your tits like a balloon_.' She mentally growled before her eyes were drawn back to her friend in worry as he almost collapsed when he took a step.

Rias flushed before turning her head to avoid staring, but found herself overhearing Akeno's statement which caused her blush to intensify. ' _I wonder…_ ' She started to think before shaking herself out of it. Now was not the time, though Akeno and Koneko didn't seem to mind the view as they kept on staring. The only one who had yet to notice Lelouch's current state was Asia, who was busy healing Issei and apologizing to Rias' unconscious Pawn for landing on him.

Swaying on his bare feet, covered in blood, and showing far more than he ever intended, Lelouch's Wrath began to fade away, the smoky energy vanishing into the air. Lelouch coughed slightly and almost collapsed to his knees in exhaustion when he tried to take a step forward. In fact, he would have, were it not for Kiba speeding towards him to wrap one of Lelouch's arms around the blond's shoulders to help hold him up. "Tired." Lelouch murmured quietly, as his eyes flickered from crimson to violet a few times before settling on his usual violet. "So… _tired_." Lelouch had fought every single second of his possession, expelling energy in an effort to force the parasite out of his mind and body with no success.

That feeling of sheer, utter _helplessness_. It was something he had only felt one other time before he had sworn to never allow himself to be that weak again.

He had failed. Darkness was encroaching on his mind rapidly before he was jostled by the other Knight.

"Hey, buddy." Kiba shook Lelouch slightly to try and keep him conscious as he saw the black-haired Knight's eyes begin to droop. "You gotta stay awake, at least until we can check to see if there are any lingering problems after the possession." The grip on Kiba's shoulder became sharp and painful for a moment as Lelouch's gauntlet reappeared on sheer reflex in response to Lelouch's rage before it vanished.

The Knight's growl had been unsettling as well so Kiba made a mental note to never bring up this incident unless it was absolutely necessary.

Lelouch blinked as he slowly recognized his state of undress and found himself too tired to blush. "Please tell me my clothes didn't just disintegrate." Still, he was rather mortified. This… was not how he expected to find himself once he managed to off the parasite.

Kiba chuckled as he slowly led Lelouch down to where the rest of Rias' Peerage was gathering, once they snapped out of their stupor. "Well, technically you lost them when you blew that priest to bits." The Knight was greatly enjoying the moment, as it was a rare sight to see Lelouch off-kilter like this.

"What's wro…" Asia turned around after rousing Issei from his unconscious state to see if anyone else needed her to heal them before she witnessed Lelouch walking down with Kiba's help, naked as the day he was born. She squealed in embarrassment and blushed a bright red, which drew Issei's attention.

After waving Asia's concerns off after she used her Sacred Gear to heal him, he most certainly wouldn't be forgetting the momentary pleasure of having her sit on his head that he had before he was knocked out, he turned his attention to what had made Asia freak out and groaned. "Dude, put that thing away!" Issei closed his eyes to avoid getting another eyeful of another man's junk, pissed off that he had seen it at all. "You can't just let it all hang out like that!" Even Issei, notorious pervert that he was, didn't expose himself so blatantly.

"My clothes were destroyed, dumbass." Lelouch felt his eye twitch in irritation at Issei's comments, attempting to cover himself with his free hand as he was led down to the middle of the exhibit they had arrived at less than an hour ago. "Or did you think the Kuoh Academy uniform is only destroyed in battle if a girl's the one wearing it?" Seriously, that uniform was one of the least durable things he'd ever worn in his life.

"Just sit down, and Kiba, cover him up with your jacket." Rias' voice sounded with authority, though it did tremble as she tried to fight down her blush. "Asia, please check Lelouch out." When Asia blushed, Issei made an indignant noise, Koneko growled, Kiba snickered, and Akeno giggled, Rias amended her previous statement. "I meant so we can make sure that he won't be suffering any long-term side-effects from the possession." She clarified, glaring at Akeno who just kept on giggling.

She missed the death glare Koneko sent her, but Akeno certainly didn't. ' _It'll be fun to have a rival I suppose_.' Akeno thought to herself, considering ways to try and gain an advantage in the future. Koneko had a greater advantage since Lelouch lived with her, but Akeno had the advantage in maturity. She was rather proud of her appearance and wondered if that could offset whatever advantages Koneko had.

Koneko clenched and unclenched her hands, working on controlling her irritation at this situation. ' _Just do your job and make sure he's okay_.' Koneko mentally grumbled, annoyed at Asia's embarrassment. Her glare kept shifting from Rias to Akeno, wondering which one was the bigger threat.

Ignoring the chaos spawning around him, Kiba slipped off his uniform jacket, though it was slightly ripped by some of the attacks that had managed to get through it was still enough to cover Lelouch from waist to his knees, concealing the weapon he had between his legs and making it easier for Asia to focus on healing.

Asia focused her powers on Lelouch's head first and began her clinical analysis, doing her best to suppress her embarrassment so that she could make sure Lelouch would be okay after this. ' _No sign of a concussion_.' She slowly wrapped up her scan of Lelouch's head. "Well, I can't sense any lingering effects in the mind and there's no sign of a concussion or other head injury." Redirecting her attention to elsewhere, she found herself drawn to the oddly shaped scar on Lelouch's chest. "Where did you get this?" Her tone, while still clinical, was touched with genuine concern. ' _There's something strange, I can't heal it_.' Asia frowned as she listened to Lelouch's answer before finishing her analysis of his condition.

"I have no idea." Lelouch answered, gently brushing his fingers over the scar he had seen after being resurrected as a Devil all those weeks ago. "It's just been there for some time, I honestly forgot about it." The scar, now that it had his attention, was actually itching a bit. He scratched it for a moment before turning his attention to Asia as she deactivated Twilight Healing and sighed with a small smile.

"Good news, aside from that odd scar of yours, you should be fine. You'll probably be lethargic for a while due to the amount of energy you spent, but so long as you rest enough over the next few days your recovery should be complete." Asia squeaked with a vibrant blush as Lelouch stood up, exposing himself entirely once again.

Ignoring Issei's indignant cry of "Dude!" and Asia's squealing, Lelouch looked at Rias' Queen. "Fire up the Transportation Circle Akeno." Lelouch ordered the dark-haired beauty whose eyes dropped precipitously when he stood up. "Hey, Queenie, my eyes are up here." Lelouch quipped, ignoring his discomfort with being so exposed. He just wanted to get back home so he could find a pair of damn pants.

And he'd need a new pair of shoes too, dammit he hoped this wouldn't become a theme.

"Oh, I know." Akeno replied, her eyes not shifting for a solid five seconds before they flickered back up to Lelouch's eyes. A smile, one that promised unholy amounts of teasing in the future, graced the Queen's face. "And, really? Queenie? That's the best you could come up with?" With a flare of magic, she created the circle for Lelouch behind her.

"I just got possessed, my clothes disintegrated, I'm cold, and exhausted beyond all belief." Lelouch answered as he walked over, failing to suppress a yawn as he stepped in. Koneko stepped into the circle next to him, her eyes focused entirely on the opposite direction of him. "So, sorry if I'm not exactly feeling creative." As the magic began to activate once he and Koneko were inside, Akeno pulled one last stunt.

"Oh don't worry, I'll _punish_ you for your impudence some other time." And, before Lelouch could vanish with Koneko to return home, Akeno smacked the Knight on his bare ass.

"Dammit Akeno!" Lelouch jumped as he found himself back in Koneko's living room, dizziness overtaking him for a moment halting his anger. That had stung, damn Devil probably used a small lightning spell or something. He found himself being supported by Koneko's strength as she wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, though she still refused to look in his direction. She helped him sit down on the bed before rushing over to where he stored his clothing and tossed him a pair of black boxers.

"Put these on, please." Koneko's voice was flat, but her red face betrayed her true feelings. Her eyes were glaring daggers at nothing, angry at what Akeno had done before the Transportation Circle had returned them home. Her eyes softened once she heard Lelouch hiss in discomfort, but she only turned around once he finished.

Lelouch gratefully pulled on the boxers, hissing slightly as he felt his muscles protest any sort of physical action. ' _The adrenaline must be wearing off_.' Lelouch guessed, before speaking aloud. "I'm decent now, well more decent than I was." He said, prompting Koneko to turn and stare at him. "I hope that whatever happened while I was possessed wasn't too much trouble." He had no idea what that spirit did, but once he was free the only thing he could think of was destroying it for daring to touch his mind.

"Let's just get you comfortable." Koneko whispered to Lelouch quietly as she walked over to stand in front of him. "You don't need to worry about anything, I'll take care of anything you need. You just focus on resting." Koneko gently helped her friend shift under the covers once it became apparent his muscles would keep locking up sporadically due to his exhaustion. Once he was wrapped up under the covers and about to nod off, she couldn't help herself. "Hey, are you going to be alright?" She asked as she gently brushed her fingers over his cheek in a comforting gesture, both for her, to reassure herself that he was still himself, and for him, so that he would know she was there for him. That it happened to be the place where she had kissed him was purely coincidence.

Purely.

Lelouch closed his eyes and relished in Koneko's kind touch, though not sure how he was supposed to feel. He rose his hand and grasped her fingers for a moment before he pulled them away from his face. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. Being possessed like he had was _almost_ worse than when his father had wiped his memories of everything he cared about.

"I'm going to bed, but if you need anything please just call." Koneko whispered, gently squeezing the hand of the young man who had been in her care too often for her tastes.

"I will." Lelouch promised his friend, darkness encroaching upon his vision again. And this time, the person he was with allowed him to drift off into the peaceful darkness of sleep.

As she watched Lelouch drift off to sleep, Koneko smiled at the peaceful look she witnessed appear on the Knight's face. All she wanted to do right now was make sure her best friend would be able to feel that kind of peace for a long time to come, and the first step towards that was helping him recover from this night's harrowing ordeal.

She just wanted Lelouch to be safe and healthy again.

* * *

Lelouch awakened violently as thunder crashed in the sky above and the living room was illuminated by a large flash of lightning. He took a number of deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he slowly rose from his prone position on the bed. "Damn." He muttered quietly as he realized he had accidentally summoned his gauntlet in his sleep and destroyed Koneko's spare sheets. "I hope she won't be too upset." He allowed the energy to dissipate, returning his right arm to its normal appearance.

"I'm not." Koneko's voice sounded quietly by the staircase causing Lelouch to turn his head sharply in her direction. "Are you okay?" There was another thunderclap and Koneko dropped the pillow she had been clutching to her chest as she dove under the blankets at the foot of Lelouch's bed.

The Knight observed the shaking lump that was Koneko. "Afraid of the storm?" He asked, already knowing the answer. The lump shifted and he felt Koneko crawl over his legs until he was staring down at the white-haired Devil that was hiding underneath his blankets. Her head refused to leave the confines of his blankets as she stared up at him balefully. She was seated comfortably on his thighs with the blanket completely draped over her head, making it look like she was wearing some sort of cloak.

"I don't like thunder." Koneko admitted with a blush as she avoided looking Lelouch in the eye. "So I thought I'd come down to sleep with you, if you didn't mind." The quiet, hopeful voice and her choice in sleepwear were causing certain _reactions_ Lelouch was trying to clamp down on as he attempted to maintain control over his body.

Her pajamas were less risqué than the last pair Lelouch had seen her in, but they still forced him to exercise a greater amount of self-control over his body if he didn't want to reveal the effect Koneko's appearance had on him. The Nekoshou was wearing clear, flower patterned stockings that had red ribbons tied around her lower thigh and there was a strap that went up under the skirt to keep the stockings from bunching up. She was also wearing a short-sleeved black nightie, thankfully for his self-control not see-through, that had white ruffles and a ruby in the center of her neckline. The nightie's skirt was riding rather high on her thighs as Koneko refused to move from her position on his lap, creating a tantalizing effect of showing nothing but promising more.

Lelouch groaned quietly and plopped himself back down on the bed. Why the hell did he suddenly have hormones? This fifteen year old Devil had brought more feelings out of him physically than anyone except for C.C. and Kallen. Focusing on controlling his physical reaction below the belt, he responded to Koneko's request. "Fine, make yourself comfortable." He came to regret his choice of words immediately as he found himself becoming the replacement for the pillow Koneko had dropped onto the floor.

The blanket covered her completely, but Lelouch felt Koneko resting her head on his shoulder and shifting around to get comfortable. The squirming of the teenaged Devil almost broke his self-control, but he managed to prevent his body from reacting to the young womanly form crawling all over him. Koneko pulled the blanket down slightly so that her head was poking out from her makeshift cocoon and she stared at him with a blush.

"Your heart's beating really fast." Her ears, which had been droopy ever since she mentioned the thunder, twitched as they perked up for a moment before another crash of thunder made Koneko flinch and they pressed against the top of her head. The white-haired Rook mewled in fear slightly before she felt Lelouch's hand brush against her head comfortingly. The back of Koneko's throat vibrated as she started to purr, relishing in Lelouch's ministrations.

Lelouch gently scraped his nails along Koneko's scalp as he ran his fingers through her hair, eliciting a sound of cat-like satisfaction from her before he sighed. He could control his erection well enough to the point where it wouldn't arise, but it seemed his heart betrayed the way Koneko was making him feel with this intimate contact. "I can't help it, you're squirming on top of me." He retorted quietly, his fingers brushing the back of her neck before he returned his attention to her hair.

Koneko giggled slightly, happy to know that she could draw out this kind of reaction from Lelouch despite her lack of certain _gifts_ compared to her other friends. "What was your nightmare about?" Koneko asked as she snuggled into Lelouch's body, enjoying the feeling of having one of his hands petting her on top of her head. She hoped that, by asking this, she could offer some comfort to Lelouch and help him work through whatever had awakened him.

He felt the sensation of a blade tearing through his chest and the screams of despair from his beloved little sister echoed in his mind. Lelouch tightened his grip on Koneko as he shivered before he answered her question. He burrowed his nose into her hair, anchoring himself to the present, as he responded to her question truthfully.

"I was dreaming of the day I died."

Another bolt of lightning lit up the room and thunder rumbled in the sky, unintentionally making Lelouch's statement far more dramatic than he intended. Koneko shook in response to the thunder, prompting Lelouch to begin rubbing small circles on the back of her neck and her lower back in an effort to calm her down.

He didn't want her to reflexively let out her claws and dig into him.

Koneko bit her lip and traced her finger over the scar on Lelouch's chest, gently brushing it with the tip of her finger to feel out the pattern. "Which time?" She murmured, causing Lelouch to tense up. "The priest who possessed you, Unas, he implied you died twice." The teenager explained, her tone careful. "Is it true? Is that where you got this scar from?" Koneko developed a hitch in her voice as she whispered her last question.

Lelouch remained silent for a few minutes, cursing that parasite countless times in the confines of his mind. What else did that bastard reveal while he had access to Lelouch's memories? He would have to play this carefully. "I was killed once before." He admitted quietly. He pet Koneko gently as she started to tremble and continued. "I don't know how I survived, but it was before I came to live in Kuoh." Lelouch hoped that would be sufficient enough, he didn't want to reveal more without knowing how much Koneko, and perhaps the others, already knew or deduced on their own.

Koneko took a deep breath as she kept paying attention to Lelouch's heartbeat. Nothing he had said was a lie, not exactly. But it was clear he was hiding far more than he was telling. "Who did it?" She growled, wanting to take vengeance on whoever killed her best friend. She didn't care she hadn't known Lelouch back then, she'd still tear the bastard apart for him.

Lelouch sighed quietly before responding. "No one you'll ever need to worry about." Not unless the God that punished him by sending him to this world chose to punish Suzaku in a similar manner when the second Zero finally passed on. He wondered what kind of punishment Suzaku would encounter once he died, he had been Lelouch's second greatest collaborator after all. Behind C.C. of course.

Koneko frowned as Lelouch dodged the question, still she could tell he was telling the truth. "Did you already kill them then?" She wondered, recalling that, when he was telling her the abridged version of his past, he held no compunction against killing family. Killing the person who killed him would be all too easy.

Lelouch wondered how to answer that question, there were a few interpretations he could give. Suzaku was still alive beneath the mask as far as he was aware, but his identity was completely subsumed by Zero now. And Suzaku had been officially listed as "deceased" after the Battle of Damocles. "Not exactly." He chose a technically true answer, considering Suzaku wasn't dead but the identity was. "Just know that they won't be coming after me ever again." While they were both best friends and worst enemies, he and Suzaku had completed the Zero Requiem. His penance in blood for killing Euphie had been paid. Lelouch doubted that his replacement would try and kill him a second time, even if he ended up in the same world.

"I'll take your word for it." Koneko hated how Lelouch could dodge questions so easily, trying to get a straight answer out of him was like trying to wring the perversion out of Issei. It could be done, but only on rare occasions and it was always temporary. "Lady Rias will likely want to talk with you, to get to know you better so that, if anything like this ever happens again, we can't be shocked by your past." Rias had clearly been more focused on improving Issei's growth, allowing Akeno to train Lelouch in her stead. But Koneko was willing to bet that her willingness to leave Lelouch be had changed after Lelouch revealed that he was concealing his name in the world of Familiars and what Unas had hinted at while he was in control.

Rias saw her Peerage as family and, as far as she was concerned, family shouldn't keep secrets from one another.

Lelouch felt a growl echo in the back of his throat before he sighed. "I suppose… I suppose I could answer some of her questions when she confronts me." Lelouch conceded. He didn't plan on sharing his past, certainly not more than he shared with Koneko, but perhaps he could clear the air a bit by answering whatever questions Rias had about him.

Thunder crashed again, ending the conversation abruptly as Koneko flinched again and Lelouch returned to his ministrations. He scratched one of Koneko's ears, causing the Nekoshou teenager to purr in contentment. A yawn escaped his lips, drawing one from Koneko as he did. "Let's try to get some sleep." Lelouch mumbled tiredly, shifting on his side. Koneko didn't have to compensate much as she was already laying on hers, but she wrapped a leg around Lelouch's waist, eternally thankful that he was wearing boxers at the very least, and held him close.

"Just. Please hold me until the storm passes." Koneko mumbled as her eyes began to droop tiredly. Her forehead pressed into Lelouch's chest while he pet her and her purring slowly evened out into snores as the Knight and Rook fell asleep.

* * *

Lelouch didn't last long in school the next day, his exhaustion apparent as he fell asleep three times in his first class. Knowing that his lethargy would only get worse as the sun rose higher, he made a request of Sona to have all of the teachers send his homework to the ORC clubroom and made his way there to take a catnap.

He had relished in the cool darkness of the room and crashed almost immediately on the couch, hoping to be able to sleep until the sun went down and his Devil strength was no longer sapped by the light of the day and his lingering exhaustion from the previous night's escapades.

The door to the ORC clubroom slammed open hours later, waking Lelouch from his extended nap. He looked pulled out his phone to check the time, noticing that, while he had slept less than he would like he still got a decent amount of hours out of it. The young man put his phone away as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, observing a frazzled looking Koneko stomping angrily into the room. He tugged at his uniform, loosening up the wrinkled clothing and took note of the signs of Koneko's annoyance. Her hair looked like she had been shocked by static, and her tail was twitching in irritation. Lelouch was surprised she had dropped the illusion she normally held that concealed her cat-like features, she must have been really upset if she had let it go at school.

"What happened?" Lelouch asked, noticing that Koneko had almost immediately turned to him with her claws and teeth bared before retracting them seeing that it was him who spoke. ' _Well, she's pissed_.' Koneko didn't exactly have a hair-trigger temper, but when she was angry it took her a while to calm down.

"The perverted bastards were spying on the girls in the locker room again." Koneko answered as she started pacing around the room, only feeling a little bit better now that she was near her best friend. "Only this time they somehow managed to get inside a locker and were giving a running commentary." Koneko's ears twitched and she flexed her fingers. "I beat those idiots to a pulp." They deserved nothing less in her opinion, violating everyone's privacy like that. Especially hers.

Koneko hated being spied on.

"I would've thought you'd use them as scratching posts." Lelouch half-joked, hinting at her exposed features. Koneko blinked before realizing that her nails had extended into claws and when she turned her head she could see her tail twitching behind her as she paced.

"Ah, oops." Koneko's response was quiet as she began to calm down enough to conceal her features behind her usual illusion. "Thanks for that." She hoped she hadn't revealed herself to anyone on the way over to vent her frustrations on whoever was currently in the clubhouse after gym class.

It had been difficult holding back so she didn't hurt any of her human classmates during the past hour.

"No problem." Lelouch replied, allowing Koneko to return to her angry rant without further comment so that the petite Devil could get everything off her chest.

After nearly two minutes of wandering around the clubroom and ranting, Koneko began to run out of steam. Lelouch had to admit that he was impressed by the ninety second stream of nothing but insults relating to Issei and his friends' sexual preferences for animals, inanimate objects, and one another, their perversions serving as compensation for their own inadequacy in anything and everything, sexual or otherwise, their ancestry, which apparently included pigs, worms, and the occasional chicken and weasel, and their lack of basic sense of decency towards the opposite sex.

And those were just some of the tamer subjects Koneko had touched upon before finally taking a breath.

Lelouch whistled slowly, taking the chance to interject as Koneko plopped down beside him, panting with exhaustion. "I think I saw you breathe twice that entire time." He joked, a mild chuckle escaping his lips. Lelouch wondered if that was a world record or something. "Are you finished now?" He asked as Koneko laid her head on his arm after breathing out a deep sigh.

"Yes." Koneko had gotten her emotions back under control, but it was mostly due to her exhaustion rather than her self-control returning. When she overheard the perverts hidden in the locker she had lost her temper. After pulverizing the locker and ending the consciousness of Issei's two friends, she had enjoyed wailing on the perverted Devil perhaps a little bit too much.

A loud groaning sound rang out from down the hall. "Oh, I'm so sorry Issei." Asia's voice rang out apologetically.

The living bruise formerly known as Issei limped into the room, followed closely by Asia, Akeno, Kiba, and Rias. "I didn't think touching your face would hurt so much." Almost as soon as Issei's swollen eyes caught sight of Koneko by Lelouch's side, he broke into a cold sweat and began to shake in fear.

Noticing this, Asia turned and noticed Koneko's presence by Lelouch. A cute glare was leveled at the fifteen-year-old Nekoshou by the former nun, though the blonde was unable to repress a blush she recalled the eyeful she and everyone else got the previous night. "What did you do to him?" She asked angrily, fighting off her embarrassment at seeing Lelouch for the first time since that incident.

"Nothing he didn't have coming to him." Koneko's dry response annoyed Asia, but the white-haired Devil tuned out everything else going on around her to try and maintain her control over her emotions. Seeing Issei, beaten and broken as his face was right now, still pissed her off. She took a quiet breath, using Lelouch's scent as a focus to keep a level head.

A sound of frustration escaped Asia's lips before she directed her attention towards healing Issei's injuries rather than allowing herself to be consumed by her anger. "Let's get you fixed up." She whispered quietly, settling Issei down on the floor forcing him to face away from Koneko. She didn't want him acting up in fear and potentially interfering with her spell.

Issei's most persistent wounds were mostly located on his face, the ones on his private area, a blush escaped Asia before she banished it to maintain her focus on healing Issei, had already healed thanks to his healing factor. Apparently, since it was a part of his body that was injured more often than any other his healing factor had instinctually made healing that a priority.

Meanwhile, his face was left broken and bleeding until he was well enough to walk to Asia to get some help.

His right orbital bone was fractured and the left was broken, Asia considered it a miracle his eyeballs didn't burst in his skull, his nose broken and swollen, making it impossible for him to breathe through it, and there were at least a few teeth or shards of teeth floating around somewhere in the back of his throat making it even harder for him to breathe. His cheeks were even more swollen than his nose, making him almost look like a chipmunk. If he hadn't been face down, he could have drowned in his own blood, but as he had been it allowed the blood to drain onto the floor rather than into his lungs.

There was going to be one hell of a stain on the floor wherever Issei had been for quite some time.

Issei groaned and Asia resisted the urge to pinch him to make him stay still. "Just one second, I'm almost done." The glow of Twilight Healing intensified as Asia finished rearranging the bones in Issei's face back to their original positions and began to seal them back together magically. What would have normally taken intensive surgery, plastic surgery, and months of therapy at the very least was condensed into a few minutes of intense magical healing.

Kiba sat comfortably on the opposite couch, quietly observing Asia and Issei as the Pawn's wounds were healed slowly. ' _Koneko sure did a number on him_.' He thought to himself, not quite sure how to feel about it since, while Issei's perversion was a large part of him, the Knight found himself wishing that the perverted Pawn had more control over himself. He could tell Issei was a good guy, he just needed to stop being led around by his lower head more often than not.

"No need to rush, Asia." Koneko commented snidely, taking some sadistic satisfaction in Issei's pain and injuries as she leaned comfortably on Lelouch's arm.

"Quiet you." Asia snapped, surprising everyone. "You could have killed Issei with what you did." The former nun glared angrily at Koneko, very upset with her actions. "I don't care what he did, you didn't need to try and kill him for it." Seeing Koneko's eyes close to ignore her, Asia opened her mouth to tell the petite Devil off for being so callous, before Lelouch spoke.

"If he stays out of the girls' locker room and leaves Koneko alone when she's changing I'm sure this won't happen again." Lelouch spoke for the petite Nekoshou leaning on him to relax. He knew that Issei had deserved at least some of that, but Koneko had gone rather far this time. This left the stage of retribution and dove straight into the territory of vengeance, something that brought much more risk.

Still, if Koneko really wanted to kill Issei Lelouch could think of at least three different ways off the top of his head that would leave no trace as to who did it. She didn't need to do something as obvious as this.

Asia turned back to Issei, satisfied with Lelouch's promise. Though she blushed as she recalled last night again. "If nudity is really that important to you." She chose to focus on Issei instead of Lelouch. The former nun didn't understand Issei's fascination with the female form, but if need be… "You can look at me." The blonde Devil prepared to hike up her skirt to show her commitment, a blush raging across her face, before Issei waved her off frantically.

Asia's actions kicked off a scene that left Lelouch equal parts exasperated and amused. Rias' lack of shame was once again present as she offered to let Issei see her naked any time, he couldn't tell if she was kidding or not, simply because he had seen her naked so often. When Issei's hesitance in regards to Asia immediately shifted to eagerness towards Rias, Asia yanked on the perverted Devil's cheek and chastised him heavily.

Somehow, despite severity of the injuries he had received from Koneko, Issei's perverted tendencies seemed as strong as ever. And the reactions of Rias and Asia naturally tilted the perversions expressed by Issei to their most comedic result.

' _They're just encouraging him, someday that's going to backfire_.' Lelouch guessed, yawning slightly as he still had yet to fully recover his energy. Koneko's breathing began to soften, signaling that, like Lelouch, she was tired.

"They're insane." Lelouch murmured to himself, a fond smile coming to his face despite his best efforts. Even if the antics were over the top and overly perverted, these people had still fought to free his mind the night before. He was grateful. The Knight blinked in surprise when Koneko put herself down so she could lay in his lap. "What're you doing?" He asked, fighting off a yawn.

"You're comfy." Was all the explanation Koneko gave as she grabbed his hand and forced him to put it on her head. "Pet me." Her voice suddenly got greedy despite her tiredness.

"Lelouch." Rias spoke up as she watched Lelouch pet Koneko, a sight that made her smile as she saw just how much Koneko trusted her newest Knight. Unfortunately, she needed some questions answered. "I would like you to answer some of my questions. Questions that I have avoided asking out of respect for your privacy, but now feel pertinent to ask in case what happened last night occurs again." She didn't want to do this, but if Lelouch's past was really such a big deal she couldn't afford the risk that whatever possessed Lelouch in the future, should it happen, wouldn't use the secrets in the Knight's mind to distract them.

Lelouch paused in his ministrations before he saw one of Koneko's claws begin glinting in the candlelight. Persuaded to continue, he considered how to reply to Rias' request.

"Very well. I shall allow you to ask whatever questions you have, but I can't promise answers to all of them." He stared Rias down as she sat down on top of her desk. Her request wasn't unreasonable and her reasoning made sense. Still. "There are some things I will just not answer, can you accept that?" If she didn't well, he'd just refuse to answer all of her questions out of spite.

"Those terms are acceptable." Rias replied, making herself comfortable as she tried to come up with the first question she wanted to ask. There was a momentary silence between the two, even Issei was waiting patiently to see what he could learn about the mysterious Knight. The only sound in the room was Koneko's soft breathing. "My first question is are you willing to share your true identity with us?" She hoped to learn his real name, but had a feeling flat out asking would just make him shut down any line of questioning. She'd have to be roundabout in her questioning if she wanted any answers, or so she suspected.

Lelouch chuckled, having expected that question or something akin to it to be one of the first. "No, as I've said before, my given name is indeed Lelouch, but my family name is private. I am not willing to share it with all of you." There was only one, perhaps two, he was willing to share it with, but not everyone.

Rias nodded, not happy, but understanding the answer nonetheless. "I expected as much, I hope that you can trust me enough one of these days to share who you really are, but I will respect your decision to withhold your family name." Rias thought carefully about her next question, recalling one of the first conversations she had with Lelouch when he was first inducted into her Peerage. "I'm curious, was your family a member of nobility in Britain? When you accepted my offer to join my Peerage you spoke rather formally, as if you were familiar with the norms of the court." That had been something that tickled the back of her mind for some time, especially as her research turned up nothing on a noble family with the name "Lamperouge", though now that she knew it was an alias she wasn't surprised.

Lelouch snickered slightly, amused at the turn the conversation was taking. "I'm not a member of British nobility." Lelouch spoke the truth, he wasn't British. He was _Britannian_. "But I am indeed familiar with the politics and norms of human nobility, I simply transplanted my knowledge and applied it to how I would be expected to accept a formal offer from the daughter of a Duke." Lelouch closed his eyes and shrugged before he opened them to look Rias in the eye. "I know you're not the most formal member of nobility, but I felt I should afford you due respect when I accepted your offer." Lelouch smirked. "Daughter of Gremory." He was willing to bet that phrase was what tipped her off about his knowledge of nobles and their ways.

The Daughter of Gremory smirked as she recognized something in Lelouch's answer, giving her another question to ask. "Are you a part of the nobility in a nation other than Britain?" The emphasis on not being a member of British nobility was subtle, but she had some experience with reading between the lines thanks to lessons from her parents and brother. She needed to know how to parse out what was really being said as Heiress so she didn't make a faux pas amongst her fellow nobles.

Lelouch felt his smirk vanish as Rias caught on to his little bit of wordplay. She was perceptive, more than he gave her credit for. "Not anymore." He answered truthfully. "I was exiled to Japan when I was ten-years-old." That was a little more honest than he wanted to be, it brought back unpleasant memories.

"Say what?!" Issei shouted, enraged on Lelouch's behalf. "What kind of fucked up people do that?!" He was shocked that people would actually send a child alone to another country.

"My family." Lelouch deadpanned, before explaining that he wasn't exactly thrown to the wolves. "I lived with a family friend until about two years ago, I don't know if they're still alive or dead." Now that was the truth, depending on how creative someone was willing to interpret time as it applied to legal age and across dimensions.

"Why were you exiled?" Akeno asked quietly from her place by Rias' side. "What could possess your family to be willing to exile a ten-year-old to a foreign land?" She had never heard of such a thing.

"I was demanding a stricter investigation into my parent's death." Lelouch's lips pulled upwards in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "My family didn't like that, I eventually found out the truth, but it was years down the road." His false grin faded as he looked seriously at Rias. "I would prefer not to discuss this subject further." If Rias pushed this he was going to walk out the door immediately.

"I completely understand and I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that." Rias spoke with genuine sorrow at the knowledge of what her Knight had suffered through when he was younger. "Is there anyone in your family who was…" Rias paused as she tried to come up with a polite way to say 'not a total bastard.' But could only come up with one. "Not a terrible person?"

"My little sisters." Lelouch answered, a genuine warm smile graced his face as he thought of them, surprising the members of Rias' Peerage who had never seen such an expression on the Black Knight's face. "My sister Nunnally and my half-sister Euphemia, they were two of the kindest souls I have ever met in my life." He closed his eyes and recalled one of the fondest memories he had. It was the day she announced the creation of the Special Administrative Zone, just before her announcement actually. Euphie hadn't been able to spend much time with him and Nunnally, but it had been special, spending time with her during Milly's festival.

"What were they like?" Rias asked, eager to learn about two individuals who were clearly close to Lelouch's heart.

"I'm betting they looked like Lelouch, only with bigger…" Issei found himself cut off violently as a **Void Shot** blasted its way past his ear as a warning, his hands frozen in front of his chest in a cupping motion.

"Talk about my sisters like that again and I will end you, am I clear?" Lelouch murmured quietly, his eyes and voice as cold as ice. He put his hand in his pocket after Issei nodded quickly, concealing the trembling in his hand. Lelouch sighed quietly to calm himself down. ' _Dammit, my energy levels are still too low_.' Issei likely wouldn't have felt anything more than a mild sting at best if Lelouch hadn't intended for it to be a warning shot. "Regardless, my sisters were the most precious things to me in the entire world. I would have died for them in a heartbeat if it was necessary." He avoided saying that he did die, waiting to see if Rias would ask about what Unas had revealed about him last night.

Rias smiled at the description of Lelouch's sisters, but she frowned slightly at his last statement. "I'm sure you would have." She murmured, considering how to phrase what she wanted to ask next. "Were you aware that Unas, the priest who possessed you, said something that implied you had been killed before? Not just when you were killed by the Fallen Angel." She clarified, preparing to gauge Lelouch's reaction.

"What did that parasite say?" Lelouch asked neutrally, waiting to see how Rias handled this. Depending on how carefully she tread with her question, he might answer.

"When I threatened him to try and make him leave your body, he said something like third time might be the charm." Rias answered, forcing herself to plow forward. "Is it true? Have you died before?" Rias felt her fist clench her bicep nervously as she remained silent and waited for Lelouch's answer.

Lelouch closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. After composing his thoughts for a few minutes, he sighed. "Yes, it was before I came to Kuoh and I have no idea how I survived. But I did and I would prefer not to talk about it any further." He opened his eyes to observe the reaction of everyone in the room.

Kiba was frowning, but didn't appear to be surprised. Considering the last words Kiba overheard from Lelouch before he was turned into a Devil, Lelouch wasn't surprised Kiba had expected this.

Asia had her hands covering her mouth as she blinked away tears. Issei was holding on to her shoulder to offer comfort, but Lelouch could see the pervert's eyes flashing with anger on his behalf.

Koneko was growling from her position curled up comfortably on his lap, but that was it. He had expected as much, even if she was already made aware after their conversation the night before.

Akeno had no smile on her face, taking no pleasure in the knowledge that he had died before. Her sadism only went so far and to learn that one of the people she considered a friend had died twice before as not something she enjoyed.

Rias was clenching her eyes shut and she growled in anger. Her nails dug into her arms as she clenched her fists even harsher than before. "I understand." She whispered softly, opening her eyes to try and convey just how much she cared about Lelouch. "I'm sorry if this conversation brought up any bad memories, thank you very much for answering my questions." She allowed her arms to drop to her side and pressed her palms down on the desk.

"It's fine, it's nice to know that you care about my wellbeing." Lelouch smiled sardonically before gripping Koneko's hair like a scruff, prompting a whine from the Nekoshou as he pulled her off his lap. She sat up with a huff, allowing him to move. He stood up and calmly made his way to the door. "I'm going to take a walk and get some air before heading home." As he cracked the door open, he turned slightly to look at Rias from the corner of his eye before he left. "Understand, if I find out any of you have allowed this conversation to leave this room, I will make you pay. I don't like to share my past, please respect that." He looked away after that and left everyone alone in the room to consider what they had learned about him today.

Koneko stood up and left the room in silence to follow her friend. When she left the building she didn't see him, but that wasn't much of an obstacle. Closing her eyes and focusing on his scent, she figured out the direction he went in easily enough. Koneko walked into the woods, enjoying the shade as it provided respite from the harsh sunlight.

After walking for a little while, Koneko eventually stumbled across Lelouch's destination after searching for a few minutes, thankfully not literally.

Lelouch was standing in the middle of a clearing looking at his two Familiars. Koneko remained on the edge of the clearing, sensing this was a private moment. In a few minutes, the Familiars were dismissed back to their world, presumably reassured that Lelouch had regained his body. Seeing Lelouch all alone, Koneko stepped out of the shadows and broke a branch, drawing Lelouch's attention.

Lelouch breathed silently through his nose after dismissing his Familiars back to their homes, having summoned them to find out why they hadn't been around when he awakened. Apparently, they had been dismissed almost as soon as he'd been possessed. That explained why they had been relieved to see he was himself when he summoned them for a little chat. A snapping sound came from behind him and Lelouch turned to see Koneko holding one hand on a tree trunk to balance herself as she stared at him. There was a broken branch beneath her foot.

The pair remained silent for a few moments, a calming breeze blew between them, and Lelouch closed his eyes. He slowly walked over to a tree and slid down its trunk until he was leaning up against it in the soothing shade. He looked up at the leaves, bathed in light, and yawned tiredly. "You don't have to hide there you know." He mumbled, his eyes sliding over to the girl who remained in the shadows.

Koneko heard Lelouch speak quietly and made her way over to his side. She remained quiet, just basking in the shade with her closest friend before she crawled on him to sit in his lap.

Not even questioning Koneko's actions at this point, Lelouch just put one hand on her head as she shifted into his lap. Carefully brushing his fingers through her hair, he breathed a sigh of contentment.

Koneko mewled quietly as she felt Lelouch begin to pet her without her needing to demand it. He was almost properly trained. A giggle escaped her lips at that thought, recalling a joke she'd overheard once about cat owners complaining that it seemed their pets were the ones training them instead of the other way around.

The forest was nice and quiet, a soothing contrast to the sounds of civilization that were less than a mile away.

Koneko was purring contentedly when she heard Lelouch speak. "Hm, wha?" She slurred slightly, her tongue not wanting to form syllables.

"Lelouch vi Britannia."

Koneko's eyes widened as she realized what her friend had just said. She turned around quickly, rising on her knees so she could stare him directly in the eye. "What?" She whispered, wondering if she heard what she just thought she heard. "What did you just say?" Lelouch smirked at her and his eyes were shining with soft amusement.

"That is my name." Lelouch explained softly, enjoying Koneko's soft gasp of shock. "Lelouch. Vi. Britannia." He whispered each part slowly, observing curiously as Koneko revealed her true features. He grunted as he found himself being squeezed so tight he felt one of his ribs crack. Koneko's hugs weren't always painful, but damn if it didn't feel like she was trying to pop him right now.

Koneko rested her chin on the Knight's shoulder, a small smile of pure joy on her face. Her tail was swaying side to side and her ears were twitching this way and that as she hugged him close, ignoring his grumbling. Deciding to return the favor she whispered in his ear.

"Shirone." The Nekoshou leaned back, staring up at Lelouch shyly as she sat down on his lap, no longer eye-level with him. "My name, my true name, is Shirone." She whispered softly, slightly tense as she waited for Lelouch to react. She hoped he wasn't upset that she didn't know her family name, Kuroka had disappeared before she could tell her at an age she would remember.

Lelouch looked down slightly at the fifteen-year-old Nekoshou as she stared up at him with a blush, her golden eyes filled with hope and fear. He smiled softly. She reminded him a lot of C.C., back in that cave in Narita so long ago. She had been dissatisfied with how he said her name, saying he was too cold and she wanted him to say it tenderly. She had forbidden him from ever saying her name again after he failed. Miserably. He hoped he could do better this time around.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Shirone." He whispered as warmly as he could, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face as he caressed her cheek fondly. "I hope we can be friends."

Shirone's grin was the widest Lelouch had seen on her face, her canines glinting in what little sunlight made its way through the leaves. A laugh poured passed her lips as she tackled him despite their position the ground, hugging him tightly and pressing him against the tree. "Of course. Of course we can be friends." She responded quietly once she calmed down, still holding him close. She rubbed her cheek against his chest in a somewhat cat-like gesture, her eyes closed happily. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Lelouch vi Britannia." His name was an odd one, not Japanese in the slightest, but she liked it. It suited him.

The two remained in the position for some time, Lelouch eventually convincing the Rook to loosen her grip enough so his ribs wouldn't turn to dust, but their tiredness eventually caught up to them. The darkness of the shade and the sounds of silence proved too tempting a lure for the pair as they happily descended into the realm of dreams.

Utterly unaware of the grey eyes that had been on them as they spoke, only vanishing once they fell asleep.

* * *

A day later, Lelouch found himself considering the sheets in front of him, working through the homework he'd missed in the clubroom. Playing catchup on a weekend was a pain, but he didn't want his scores to slip. He was still drained so he was focusing more on completing the assignments rather than attendance. Nibbling on the back end of a pen, Lelouch corrected a minor mistake he had made before moving onto the next part of his assignment.

Koneko, as she'd requested he call her when they weren't home, was sitting next to him, mildly upset he had prevented her from laying on his lap while he still had work to do, nibbling on a chocolate bar. As she watched him work on seven different sheets of homework at once she was kind of surprised. "How can you keep track of all of this at once?" She asked as he corrected a different sheet despite being in the middle of writing out an answer for a different one before he continued to write out an answer on a third sheet he had originally been working on.

"It's easy, keeping track of more than one thing is more of a habit by this point in my life than an issue." Lelouch answered, as he finished one of his assignments, placing it next to him on the couch so that he wouldn't mistake it for an unfinished one. "If I focus only on one thing I start to get bored, having multiple things going on helps me stay sharp." If Lelouch didn't have multiple projects then he got bored and a bored Lelouch was not healthy. For himself or others depended on the mood he was in at the time.

It took him about fifteen minutes to finish up all of his homework, but as he was wrapping up the last of his answers, the door slammed open as Rias, Akeno, and a busty woman with long, braided silver hair wearing a maid uniform entered the room. The loud noise caused his hand to twitch and the pen left a mark, scratching through the otherwise immaculately written assignment.

"I told you already, Grayfia." Rias stormed into the clubroom, her anger flaring. "I don't want to marry that bastard!" Honestly, she had this discussion with her brother and his wife so many times, even her parents had gotten involved. She was desperate to end her engagement to Riser in any way she could, why couldn't they just let her?!

"Is that why you almost threw away your purity to that young man?" Grayfia asked, hiding her disappointment in Rias' impulsiveness. This marriage had been arranged for years, it upset Grayfia to see Rias abandon her responsibilities as the Heiress to the Gremory Family.

"At least Issei is a good person, Riser is just an asshole!" Rias growled back, moving to sit behind her desk with Akeno backing her up. The sadistic, dark-haired Devil remained by Rias' side, staring down the wife of one of the Four Great Satans without fear. She knew she was outmatched, but if Rias wanted to actually fight this then Akeno would stick by her side to the end.

Lelouch stared silently at the mark he had been forced to make on his last assignment, taking a deep breath through his nose before tuning into the conversation quick enough to overhear the information that was causing the dispute. One piece of information catching Lelouch's attention. ' _Rias tried to sleep with Issei_?' He thought incredulously.

Lelouch was no stranger to arranged marriages, but after his experiences, particularly in the Chinese Federation with the Tianzi, he knew that they weren't always an option that the ones involved preferred. One of the deal-breaking clauses in almost every arranged marriage contract that he could recall was an unfaithfulness clause so attempting to sleep with Issei could have actually worked, if she was willing to take the requisite hit in reputation. And if she was willing to damage her reputation then Rias clearly didn't want to get married to Riser, whoever he was.

As soon as he picked up the last sheet and put it in the small pile he planned to deliver to his teachers later, Koneko claimed her spot in his lap. Apparently, she had decided that would be where she would sit from now on and, unless he wanted to deal with his ribs getting pinched between her Rook-enhanced fingers, he had to deal with a demanding Nekoshou sitting on his lap quite often.

The door opened, revealing the presence of Issei, Kiba, and Asia as they walked into the room, oblivious to the tense situation they had unwittingly entered.

"Sup." Issei said as he entered, falling silent at the sight of a silver-haired maid. The perverted Devil blinked before narrowing his eyes. ' _Is this what Kiba was talking about? Something that would piss the President off_?' He thought, remembering what the blond Knight had said on the way to the clubroom.

"Miss Grayfia." Kiba spoke, narrowing his eyes as he deduced the reason for the Lucifer's wife being with Rias rather quickly. ' _So, he's finally become impatient with Rias' stalling_.' Well, this day certainly wasn't going to be getting better.

"Well, everyone's here." Rias spoke, her irritated tone obvious to all. It looked like things would be moving faster than she'd like. Rias would have preferred to have a little bit more time to train up Issei, his Sacred Gear was probably the only thing that could defeat Riser. But it wasn't strong enough yet for her to be confident in her victory.

"Permission to speak freely, Milady?" Rias turned to Grayfia as she asked her question. Despite her sister-in-law's fetish, she knew full well Grayfia had no need to ask permission to speak. She was just staying "in character" for her own amusement. Still, there was no reason not to indulge her. Despite her anger, Rias knew that directing it at Grayfia was a futile exercise, especially as she was not at fault in her current predicament.

That, Rias knew, laid with her brother and their parents.

"Sure, why not." Rias breathed out an annoyed sigh as she answered her brother's wife.

But, before Grayfia could speak, a portal made up of flames burst to life in the darkened room.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes felt _something_ within his soul twinge. Almost as if something within himself was instinctually _repulsed_ by the nature of these flames, though he could tell it wasn't the heat that was bothering him. There was just something about this magic that made him want to stomp it out of existence. When the portal's flames dissipated, so did the emotion inside Lelouch. For the most part. But, despite only lasting a few seconds at most, Lelouch took note of this sudden hatred spawning from within himself and prepared to add it in to the things he would need to research when he finally had some access to information.

The flames flickered out of existence the cry that reminded Lelouch of the creature in the Familiar world, revealing the back of a man with spiky blond hair. The man was tall and dressed in a rather formal red tuxedo. Before even turning around, the voice of the man rang out declaring, "Riser has arrived." Speaking in the third person. That wasn't something Lelouch had expected as his narrowed eyes observed the arrogant newcomer.

' _So, this is the man Rias is betrothed to_.' Lelouch watched quietly, remaining on the couch comfortably as the man continued to speak. The way he spoke and the way he carried himself spoke of his confidence in his power. He was acting like it was a bother that he had to come to the human world in the first place and he spoke to Rias with a fondness coated in condescension.

Issei hated this man on the spot. "Okay, who's this asshole?" The brunette Pawn asked with irritation at the way the said asshole addressed Rias. His question was answered by the silver-haired maid.

"This _gentleman_ is Lord Riser Phenex." Grayfia answered the crass servant, stressing her manner of addressing him to hint towards the Pawn that he needed to be careful. "He is a Pureblooded Devil of noble birth and third heir in line to the House of Phenex." As third in line he was essentially the "spare to the spare" which made him less important than the ones above him in the line of succession, though that didn't mean he was weak.

"And that means…" Issei continued to press for answers, not getting the big deal about this annoying Devil being the third in line. Especially when, as far as he knew, Rias was first in line to inherit her family titles. Issei didn't know much about nobility, but what he did know was that first in line outranked third by a good margin.

"It means you just insulted a man who could probably have you executed, Issei." Lelouch spoke, his eyes closed with one of his arms around Koneko's stomach while the other was scratching at his chest, the odd feeling of wanting to wipe Riser's flames from existence still flickering inside of him. His statement drew the attention of everyone in the room. And, despite being under the stare of some undoubtedly important individuals within the Devils' hierarchy, he remained calm. As did Koneko, who simply sucked on her fingertips to get the last of her chocolate bar's delicious taste.

"So, someone in this detestable world knows their place." Riser's arrogant voice sounded, eliciting a scowl from Lelouch. "What is your name?" A dark chuckle rumbled in Lelouch's chest, before he corrected the arrogant Devil.

"Know my place?" Lelouch questioned after chuckling. "You are incorrect, I am simply familiar with the type of noble who feels the need to try and crush others beneath their heel." Lelouch titled his head back to stare down Riser, despite his sitting position he conveyed his arrogance with practiced ease.

The rather cuddly fifteen-year-old Devil girl on his lap made it more difficult than it would otherwise be, but he managed well enough.

"I've always enjoyed crushing the spirits of those fools, would you like to be next on my list, you flaming peacock?" He taunted, reminiscing about the kind of men he and Rivalz would meet during their little gambling sessions. "It has been so long since I've had the pleasure of hearing a noble cry out in agony as he's forced to face reality." The Devil Knight's eyes narrowed, flashing red for a moment. "The reality that he is nothing in the face of true power." He was bluffing like hell right now considering his powers were still not even halfway recovered, but he wanted to see what kind of man Riser was.

Riser's face contorted from an arrogant grin to a hideous sneer at Lelouch's insult, but before he could act Rias stepped in.

"Lelouch, stop taunting him this instant!" Rias ordered, her tone sharp with rebuke as she drew Lelouch's attention away from Riser to her angered face. "I will not allow a battle to break out here." There was no way that she was prepared to face off against Riser or his Peerage right now, she needed more _time_.

Rias' intervention allowed Riser to compose himself once again while Lelouch simply bowed his head slightly. "I apologize, Madame President." He responded, his voice remaining as soft as it had been when he began taunting Riser. He had still managed to get a little bit of a read on the kind of individual Riser was, so he considered drawing the anger of his King to be worth the potential punishment for the moment.

Riser was the type to not take challenges to his supremacy well, allowing his anger to dictate his actions if he were sufficiently provoked. That was all Lelouch needed to know to begin formulating a plan to take Riser down like he once had with the nobles back home.

' _What happened to showing respect to those who are nobles_?' Rias thought to herself, having not expected Lelouch to be the one to antagonize Riser. Issei yes, but not Lelouch. Lelouch had said the previous day that he was familiar with the nobility and was willing to show respect, she didn't know where this sudden disgust came from. Still, she had sensed no lies, then or before so she felt mildly annoyed at still being unable to fully get a read on Lelouch.

"So, is he your newest Knight then?" Riser asked rhetorically, he already knew the answer thanks to his Familiar's spying on Rias' Peerage. He turned to the brunette and said, "That must mean this is your Pawn." A snort of derision escaped the Phenex. "Your Peerage still remains incomplete, my beloved fiancée." He taunted, drawing Issei's attention like a moth to a flame with his last phrase.

"Say what?! You're joking, right?!" Issei asked disbelievingly, not willing to believe that the beautiful Rias was going to be married to a Devil like Riser.

"He is not." Grayfia answered on Riser's behalf, divulging a little bit of history for Rias' Pawn. "Lady Rias has been engaged to Lord Riser for many years now, due to an agreement between their two families." It was an agreement that left a bad taste in her mouth as she watched how Riser developed, but the agreement was binding unless the conditions for voiding it were met or both parties agreed to end it themselves. And as the latter was unlikely, that left the first option which, while still unlikely, was at least not as impossible as convincing stubborn nobles that they were wrong about something.

Riser made his way to the couch across from Lelouch and Koneko, sitting down before beckoning Rias to sit by his side. The rest of Rias' Peerage took positions opposite of the betrothed pair, standing behind the Knight and Rook. The two seated pairs looked like a mocking reflection, Koneko's comfort on Lelouch's lap contrasting with Rias' discomfort at her position by Riser's side as he played with her hair and pet her leg possessively.

Lelouch drummed his fingers on the couch in thought. He placed his chin on Koneko's head and closed his eyes, visualizing some potential strategies for taking on Riser if it became necessary to protect Rias.

While Koneko cuddled and Lelouch plotted, Akeno moved to prepare a cup of tea for Riser, as he was a guest, though she had been sorely tempted to poison it. Still, her better nature won out over her desire to at least attempt to kill Riser and she simply brought the beverage as Rias ordered. ' _I hope you choke on it_.' Riser had been responsible for most of Rias' problems for some time now and Akeno really wanted to rip his smug face off on the behalf of her best friend.

All of this was held behind a perfect smile, none of her anger or hatred had been allowed to seep through.

Picking up the cup with an easy grace, Riser tasted the tea prepared by his fiancée's Queen. "Ah, truly the tea prepared by my beloved's Queen is most delicious." He spoke after a sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips. Perhaps he would keep her as well once he was married to Rias, the least she could do would be to continue to serve his wife once the Phenex claimed her for his own.

Perhaps it could be a wedding gift, truly Riser's generosity knew no bounds.

Once he finished with his tea, Riser returned to his lowkey fondling of Rias, ignoring the Gremory Heiress' shaking at his touch. Unfortunately for him, Rias was through playing his game.

Rias stood up, finally done with this entire situation. "That's enough Riser." She would need to shower to wipe the feel off of her skin later. A long, hot shower. Rias repressed a shudder of disgust at having even allowed that Devil to touch her so intimately. If only she had managed to sleep with Issei before Grayfia interfered, then the engagement would have been broken off as a result of her unfaithfulness. "Let it go." She spat, her disgust with her fiancée almost palpable. "Why don't you understand? I have no intention of every marrying you." Rias would almost rather give up her claim as Gremory Heiress than chain herself down to Riser's side for the rest of her life.

Almost.

"But my darling." Riser spoke patronizingly. "Riser knows that your family situation doesn't allow the privilege of _choice_." That was kind of the point of an arranged marriage after all. "To keep the Seventy-Two Pillars from losing anymore pure Devils, that is why this marriage was arranged by our parents so many years ago." Riser tossed his right hand in the air dismissively and crossed his legs. "We're already down to thirty-three pure families, we can't afford to lose anymore. Our children will help keep Devil blood pure for future generations, and with how many Pureblooded Devils that have fallen, both in the war and during this so-called ceasefire, it makes even more sense to have two High-Class bloodlines merge does it not?" If one did not care to consider feelings in the equation, each point made by Riser had validity to it.

Still… Rias _refused_ to accept this as her fate.

"I don't care." Rias declared vehemently, her anger flashing in her eyes. "I am the next head of the House of Gremory, I _will_ choose who becomes my husband, no matter what you, my brother, or our parents say!" Her hand was thrown out to her side and her declaration silenced whatever Riser planned on saying next. "I don't care if that means the only new blood in our society will come from Reincarnated Devils, just because they were once something different doesn't mean that they can't become just as strong as Pureblooded Devils." Rias put her hand over her heart and spoke with conviction.

She would rather see Pureblooded Devils go extinct than marry Riser.

She didn't care if a Devil was born a Devil or reborn from a different species, that belief was reflected in her Peerage. Human, Fallen, Nekoshou, Dhampir. She didn't care. She refused to accept the argument that purity of the bloodline was more important than anything else, the belief that so many had succumbed to down in Hell.

"So, you think that your Peerage is a match for one filled with Pureblooded Devils?" Riser spoke ominously after a moment before flames erupted behind him with a screech.

Lelouch once again felt the urge to wipe out ever spark of that flame from existence before he crushed it. For some reason, the sensation he had felt twice now felt different from when he suppressed his Wrath. This sensation was something more… than hatred.

He felt like those flames were an insult to his very existence. It was… very odd.

Fifteen women appeared behind Riser, a variety of appearances among them. Lelouch's eyes scanned them all, noting one that caught his attention more than the others. The Black Knight's eyes narrowed. ' _Is that his sister_?' He wondered silently, analyzing what similarities he could see between a teenage girl who had a similar appearance to Riser. Her energy felt similar, the same kind of disgusting flames Riser's energy held inside of him were inside her too.

"Behold, the great Riser Phenex's Peerage." Riser spoke arrogantly, his arms spread grandly as he introduced his Peerage to everyone. "My Peerage is complete, unlike your ragtag group." Riser's teeth were bared in an arrogant grin. "If you truly don't wish to continue through with our marriage, then I may just have to destroy your Peerage and take you to Hell by force."

At that remark, things deteriorated rather quickly.

Koneko stood from Lelouch's lap and put up her fists, prepared to use her enormous strength to defend Rias.

Lelouch rose to stand next to her just as quickly as he allowed his eyes to flicker from red to violet repeatedly as a bluff while he slowly gathered what little energy he had available around his right hand. Smoke slowly rose and gave him an eerie aura as it slowly snaked its way towards his shoulder.

Kiba immediately took Koneko's opposite side, prepared to draw a blade at a moment's notice.

Akeno stood next to Rias, who was suddenly too close to Riser for anyone's comfort, lightning flickering between her fingers.

Asia stood tall behind everyone, scared out of her mind but willing to do her best to heal anyone who got hurt if it all escalated into a fight.

Issei charged forward, summoning his Boosted Gear in an instant. As he prepared to punch Riser's smug face, a young woman with a staff intercepted him and knocked him into the ceiling harshly. Issei grunted as he hit the roof before gravity kicked in and he landed like a lump in the middle of the table, crushing it beneath his weight. " **BOOST!** " To add insult to injury, his Boosted Gear chose that moment to give Issei a power increase.

"Everyone." Rias murmured, touched by the actions her Peerage had taken to protect her at the slightest hint of a serious threat from Riser.

"Please stop, or else I will be forced to step in." Grayfia's voice was ice cold as she cut through the tension. "In the name of my King, the Lord Lucifer, I will not hold back if I am forced to stop all of you." Her tone brooked no argument and things slowly scaled back down.

Riser sighed, nervous sweat dripping down his cheek. "To face the Strongest Queen, not even I am prepared for that. Lord Lucifer's Peerage are said to be filled with utter monsters, I'm not willing to test that rumor with his Queen." Riser was arrogant and prideful, but he knew who was untouchable, and Sirzechs was certainly one of the individuals on that list.

Lord Sirzechs Lucifer, the King of all Devils, whether they acknowledged his rule or not, was rumored to be stronger than even the original Satan. He who had been one of God's original Angels before his rebellion. Riser wasn't eager to mess with someone in that man's Peerage.

Lelouch allowed his energy to return to his body and stopped his eyes from shifting color, but he had to work hard to conceal the shaking in his limbs as he realized his recovery would likely continue into the next week at this rate. ' _Damn it, just what the hell did that possession do to me_?' He thought to himself as he put his hands in his pockets, feigning confidence in his stance with ease. No one sat down, despite Grayfia's warning.

Things were too tense to let their guards down.

"My King and your parents," Grayfia began, looking at both Rias and Riser as she spoke. "We realized it might come down to this, so we are offering an alternative way to settle all of this." Grayfia looked solemnly at everyone in the room. "If Lady Rias so chooses, she can challenge Lord Riser to a Rating Game." The maid Queen's eyes closed. "The rules will be identical to an official Rating Game, no killing and any Pieces deemed to be too injured to continue will be immediately transported to a stasis field to receive treatment, but the prizes shall be as follows." Grayfia opened her eyes to stare at the betrothed pair seriously. "If Riser wins, Rias shall comply with the contract without failure." She paused as Riser grinned before continuing, taking some pleasure in raining on his parade. "However, should Lady Rias prove victorious the contract will be rendered null and void and she will never be placed under another marriage contract without her freely given consent."

It was an all or nothing gamble, but when the alternatives were considered… Rias knew what her answer would be in a heartbeat. "When will the Rating Game be taking place?" She asked, signaling her consent to participate. Looking over at her fiancé, she frowned at his arrogant grin.

"All Hallows' Eve, or as it's called by most in the human world, Halloween." Grayfia answered a twitch developing over her eye as she remembered why. The original time was supposed to be ten days from now, but Lady Serafall barged in for some reason beyond everyone's comprehension and started asking Sirzechs about a Halloween party. Then her _darling_ husband had gotten it into his head that they could have a party with the Rating Game serving as entertainment.

She guessed he was playing along to give Rias more time to train her Peerage, but she still found the idea of him using his sister fighting for her freedom as entertainment for a Halloween party rather crass.

"I shall see you a little over three weeks then, my beloved Rias." Riser said as he and the rest of his Peerage vanished in a portal of flames. Issei's groaning on the table being the last thing they heard before the screeching of a phoenix sounded and they were left alone with Grayfia.

"I'll need you to have my brother prepare the vacation home, Grayfia." Rias asked politely, already developing more intense training regimens for her Peerage. ' _I'll also need to talk with Sona about ensuring everyone gets their homework compiled over the next few weeks so we can avoid falling behind. Oh, and I'll need to get a bunch of training clothes, or finish that repairing spell soon._ ' There was so much to do before training began and so little time. "We'll be using it until October thirtieth." It was the seventh now, so that left her twenty-two full days to prepare. She really hoped she could get everyone strong enough, Issei would probably take the most work but she believed his Boosted Gear was the only thing that would be able to defeat Riser's flames of immortality.

Issei shivered in fear as he sensed impending doom, probably unrelated to the ORC President's plans to train him to the bone.

"Everyone, pack your bags." Rias ordered, a small smile on her face. "We'll all be taking a little vacation to train for our upcoming match. Make sure to pack the essentials, we won't be returning to Kuoh for some time." With that out of the way, everyone slowly filtered out of the room, even Issei after a little help from Asia.

Akeno looked at Rias, noticing the minute twitching of her lips as she tried to uphold her smile. "Rias, we'll kick his ass for you. I promise." The Queen squeezed her best friend's shoulder comfortingly before teleporting to her own home to gather her things.

When she was left alone with Grayfia, Rias allowed her smile to drop as she looked at her sister-in-law sadly. "Is there really no other way?" Rias whimpered as Grayfia took the redhead into a hug, pressing Rias' head against her bosom.

"Have faith in your friends and family, they will not let you down." Grayfia brushed her hand through Rias' hair comfortingly. "And trust in your brother, Sirzechs only wants what's best for you." Rias returned her hug tightly before Grayfia had to let her go

"It was my family who got me into this mess in the first place." She whispered before the magic circle transported Grayfia away.

She had just over three weeks to prepare, Rias hoped desperately that it would be enough.

* * *

 _Earlier, on the previous day_

Ophis watched silently as her Demon Emperor conversed with a white-haired Nekoshou, feeling mildly annoyed. When she had felt his power flare in this clearing, Ophis had teleported immediately in hopes that she could finally speak with the man she had been tracking for almost a month now. When he had spoken after dismissing his odd pets, she had almost walked out, assuming he was talking to her, before she saw a girl around her height in an odd uniform walk over to him and sit in his lap.

Ophis twitched at the sight.

On the bright side, she now knew for certain that her pet project still recalled his identity. She didn't know why he couldn't sense her though, the power within him should be calling to the power within her, as hers had been ever since she finally got a lock on his signature, alerting him to her presence and making him want to seek it out. So, the question was, why was his power not responding to her presence being so close by?

' _Is it not fully awakened then_?' It was possible he had awakened only a portion of the gift she had so generously bestowed upon him to assist in her goal of taking Great Red's head and returning to the wondrous silence. ' _How disappointing_.' It would appear that she would need to wait a little longer for him to be able to fully utilize his powers. Unless…

The pair she was observing fell asleep, but before she could walk out a magic circle appeared by her ear. "Lady Ophis, we've discovered the White Dragon's location." The voice of one of the Heroes she had recruited some time ago came through the communication spell. "Do you want us to engage?" Bikou, she believed he called himself.

The Dragon God frowned, torn between her Demon Emperor, whose powers remained partially dormant, and the White Dragon Emperor, whose power she knew would be useful in weakening her ultimate foe. The Dragon of Infinity most certainly did _not_ pout petulantly before she stomped off into the forest to go confront the White Dragon.

"No, I'll go myself." She said before she blocked the spell. She needed to blow off some steam, fighting the White Dragon seemed like a good way to test his strength and work off some of the frustration she felt now that she found out her first pet project was still incomplete.

As the magic circle twisted reality around her, Ophis thought back to the idea she'd had before she was contacted by her organization.

' _I wonder, what would it be like, having an apprentice._ '

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And in case you're wondering, yes I do have my reasons for holding off on having a Lulu-Ophis meet up in this chapter. The meeting I have planned is going to be much more than just a chance meeting like this, it's not just to tease my readers mercilessly.**

 **I'm not Akeno after all.**

 **Now, onto the clarifications/tidbits.**

 **The personalities of both Lelouch's Familiars are something I thought could be fun to play with, but they may seem a little rough until I start to nail down the kind of personality I want them to have. Their names are original, but Ketsu is actually kind of a pun.**

 **Ketsueki is the Japanese word for blood (appropriate for a Blood Raven), but the first half of that word, as spelled in English, is also slang in Japanese for ass (the body part, not the insult). Funnily enough, I had already chosen to use the name, in its relation to being half of the Japanese word for blood, and to have the raven be interested in staring at women's bodies, asses in particular, (playing with the natural tendency of some characters in DxD to be unexpectedly perverted) before I knew the slang nature of the word. Happy coincidence, though not in Lelouch's opinion.**

 **Mika means new moon and her dislike of cats is a purely racial thing (full disclosure: I'm allergic to cats, but I love them. Pretty much grew up with at least a few cats all my life) which is part of her personality. As character developments occur, this may or may not change.**

 **So, his familiars consist of a pervy bird and a racist wolf. I think this will be fun.**

 **Last thing I can think of. Yes, I've finally dated this work. The date at the end of the incident with Riser, is October 7** **th** **, 2017. I didn't want to go through previous calendars and work on what days were weekends and what not, so I just decided to work with the current calendar.**

 **Just to clarify, Lelouch originally arrived in the DxD world back in March, became acquainted with Koneko and Kiba mid-late April, and was turned into a Devil on the first few days of the start of his second semester at Kuoh Academy in early September.**

 **If you enjoyed the chapter, please review. I enjoy feedback.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	9. Chapter 9: Training Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Training Days**

* * *

"Hello, child of the line of Lucifer. Join me, fight me, or die." Those had been the words of the little girl who had been kicking his ass all over the sky for… how long now?

Vali shook his head as he looked at his Sacred Gear. The wings were glowing brighter than he had ever seen in his life. He had never felt power like this, and according to Albion this wasn't just any girl. ' _What in the world is Ophis doing outside of the Dimensional Gap_?' He directed the question internally as he weaved through a net of black tendrils of energy.

" **Who knows, I have always been more focused on killing Ddraig. I don't recall ever attempting to face off against the Dragon God**." Albion answered, Vali's wings pulsing with each word.

' _I'll need to speak with Azazel when I get back. I knew coming to Vegas was a bad idea_.' Vali thought to himself as his ankle was caught and he was thrown out of the sky with a scream.

If he hadn't entered his Balance Breaker almost immediately he probably would be dead by now.

Down below, there were two spectators observing the youngest of the Lucifer bloodline fighting against a God, amused somewhat by the irony, though they were more concerned with speaking to one another at the moment.

"You do realize that just because it's called the Vegas Strip doesn't mean you have to dress like an exotic stripper, right?" Bikou deadpanned as he observed Kuroka fanning herself with a stack of dollar bills as she lounged on the roof next to him dressed in a loose fitting black kimono that revealed her cleavage.

"Hey, just cause you can't create illusions to sleep around and make some quick cash on the side doesn't mean you have to be jealous." Kuroka snickered, her twin tails swaying from side to side. Though Bikou was teasing the dark-haired Nekoshou, he certainly didn't mind enjoying the view. She had decided to make the most of the mission they had gotten from Ophis a little over a month ago before she vanished to do whatever it was a Dragon God did in her spare time, aside from creating a terrorist group of course. Kuroka had netted well over three thousand American dollars propositioning men and then allowing them to have their way with one of her illusions.

And it hadn't even been three days since they arrived in the city of Sin, as it was so eloquently called.

There were some men she was tempted to take personally, but she didn't want to risk having a human's brats. If she was gonna have children she wanted the father to be someone strong, not an ordinary human. Human males were just too fertile in comparison to her species and she wasn't willing to risk an unexpected pregnancy if she lost control over her cycle in a moment of passion.

Plucking a few tens, she slinked her way over and stuffed the small crumple of bills down the collar of the shirt Bikou was wearing. "Buy yourself something pretty and don't forget to stay in school." She quoted one of her rather odd customers, who seemed to think she was putting herself through college.

She just wanted a little extra cash, plus it was amusing watching humans enjoying her illusions so thoroughly. From her perspective, the only thing they had ever fondled, groped, or otherwise enjoyed had been nothing but air.

An explosion rang out in the sky, dispersing the rain as the shockwave displaced the air momentarily. Looking out from underneath the cover she and Bikou were under as they sat comfortably on the roof of one of the city's numerous hotels, Kuroka watched as Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, tumbled helplessly through the sky after being blasted by yet another one of Ophis' rather brutal attacks. "How long have they been fighting?"

Bikou ignored Kuroka's antics as he answered her question. "Two days, Divine Dividing has been keeping the White Dragon energized enough so that he doesn't need food, at least for now." Bikou was kind of amused, he wondered if either of the combatants had realized that two days had passed in the barrier he had erected to keep their fight from being seen by human eyes. It had to be a large one, considering who was fighting, but it wasn't that difficult to maintain for the Monkey King.

Charging towards the Dragon God again, the White Dragon was bitchslapped by a whip of energy Ophis held in her hands before it wrapped itself around its target and squeezed. Vali's screams echoed loudly and Kuroka flattened the ears on top of her head in irritation. "Does Ophis seem a little more… vicious than usual to you?" She asked her companion. The Dragon of Infinity didn't usually get involved in recruitment drives on the first meeting.

If anything, the Ouroboros Dragon usually left it up to her current members to recruit her targets, only getting personally involved if the target proved to be too stubborn.

"I wonder what has her so pissed off." Bikou agreed with Kuroka's observation dryly. "Think she tried to talk Great Red out of her home and he said something stupid again?" Some dumbass had once tried to get Ophis to talk about her differences with Great Red to try and make him leave, as if Great Red would acquiesce to Ophis' wishes just because she asked politely.

Ophis made the fool pay, painfully, for that advice.

There was a little bit of him left, but it was spread out over his cell. Barely enough to bury, if anyone had been so inclined.

Ophis dragged Vali down to the roof where the pair had been observing. Vali's Balance Breaker had broken under the strain of Ophis' whip, which she still held in her hand, and he was wrapped up rather tightly. One tendril was looped tight around his throat, while another set bound his arms behind his back, while a final set forced him to his knees by binding his legs together. It bore the appearance of a bondage style wrap which was… odd. This observation made Kuroka giggle as it made the scene appear as if Mistress was punishing a wayward pet, and Ophis appearing like a little girl at the moment really just made everything even more hilarious for the dark Nekoshou.

Ophis' bare feet touched the rooftop softly and she flicked her wrist, setting Vali down by flinging him before she allowed the energy whip to slither its way back inside her quickly. Vali hit the rooftop with a grunt, blinking as he stared up at what he thought were two pairs of twins. "Who are these four… two?" Vali corrected himself as he shook his head and stopped seeing double. The White Dragon Emperor sat up and winced slightly at some of the burns he'd accumulated over the battle, having been struck by lightning a few times since he was battling in the sky.

"Explain what I want. I have somewhere to be." Ophis ordered her two subordinates blankly before she allowed a magic circle to twist around her so she could head back to find her quarry.

"What… the… fuck is going on?!" Vali shouted, blinking in shock as the God in the form of a little girl who had just kicked his ass for who knows how long just up and vanished out of nowhere. A scream of frustration roared out of his throat before he turned to the two Ophis had thrown him at. "Alright." He breathed deeply. "You have five minutes, if I like what you have to say I _may_ double the time limit." The Vanishing Dragon narrowed his eyes. "Get talking." He was only being this generous because he had a feeling Ophis would track him down again in the future and this whole thing would just repeat itself.

Vali would rather avoid something that pointless.

"Hm, so _demanding_." Kuroka purred with a playful grin on her face. "I like it." She snickered before her ear was tugged by Bikou. Harshly. "~Nya!" She mewled in pain, tears springing up in her eyes. "Why Bikou?" She whimpered before turning serious once he let her ear go. "Oh fine, I'll get to the point." Eh, if Vali joined she could always try to jump his bones some other time.

"Tell me kid," Kuroka started with a grin, pleased with the serious look on Vali's face. "How would you like to have the chance to face off against the strongest creature in existence?" The White Dragon seemed the type to enjoy a good fight, considering he hadn't even attempted to flee from Ophis even after it was clear he was getting his ass kicked all over the sky.

"I think I just did." Vali deadpanned, mentally halving their time limit. "And she just kicked my ass from here to Kentucky and back." That was pretty far inland in the continental US compared to Vegas, right? Vali wasn't the greatest with US geography.

He needed to get stronger if he wanted to achieve his dream of becoming the strongest.

"Ophis is tied with the strongest." Bikou picked up where Kuroka had left off. "There is one other who matches her in power, and she wants to take his head." A grin graced the Monkey King's face when he saw a look of intense interest make its way across Vali's face.

"Okay, you have my interest." Vali said, greed shining in his eyes. Their time limit just quadrupled. "Keep talking." And when they did, Vali had a hard time keeping his face neutral.

The more he heard, the wider his grin grew.

' _Sorry Azazel, looks like this might be where our paths diverge_.' Vali thought, somewhat morosely, to himself.

The Fallen had taken him in when he had no one after all, but there was no way Vali could pass up this opportunity.

* * *

Lelouch thought he knew suffering after everything he had gone through in his life.

He was wrong.

So, so, utterly, _wrong_.

"Rias… is… _evil_." Lelouch panted as he lay on the ground next to Issei. He was currently trying to regain the feeling in his legs that he had lost as soon as he reached the destination Rias had set for everyone. He wasn't certain what he would need so he packed a lot. Textbooks, clothing, cooking supplies. He twitched at the last one on the list. Whatever he thought was necessary, he had packed it all. It was a minor miracle his pack didn't look like Koneko's, which was stuffed to the brim with sweets and clothes and other things he was sure. Hers was even larger than his, twice her height even, though she had the benefit of Rook-enhanced strength so she suffered far less than him.

He thought they'd all be teleporting to the location where they'd be training for the next three weeks, but all Rias did was teleport everyone to the outskirts, forcing everyone to hike to her vacation home to start the training early.

"President… mean." Issei was so tired he couldn't even get out a full sentence. He felt like his legs would rather commit suicide rather than so much as twitch ever again.

"Come on you two, stop being so dramatic." Rias scolded her Knight and Pawn as they glared balefully at her in eerie synchronicity. "Lelouch, you've been training with Akeno for weeks, how are you not handling a simple walk better than this?" Seriously, his stamina and muscles should have been more than capable of a short walk, not much more than a few miles really, even with his heavy pack.

"Used… magic… for… boost." Lelouch panted as he started to regain feeling in his toes. "Don't… have… it… right now." He gasped. His magical power wasn't able to augment his physical skills like normal and all he was left with was his normal, albeit Devil-enhanced, strength.

"What?" Rias blinked in surprise. "You idiot! Do you have any idea what you did?" She dragged her hand over her face as she started to explain. "By using your magic to increase your physical power, you were failing to let your muscles develop naturally." It was like using a strength enhancing drug, once the drug's effects were removed the level of strength the individual was capable of using was greatly diminished and likely weakened them even further than they originally were. "Well, I know what we're starting on with you." Still, it explained why his magical power had increased as much as it had in so little time.

Lelouch had been using twice as much magical power as she originally thought whenever he practiced, whether it was a spar or a race. And weakening his physical strength as a result of his reliance on his magical power.

It was kind of funny, he was probably better suited to being a Bishop with his magical talent than being a Knight. While Rias wouldn't trade her two Bishops for anything, even her poor little Dhampir with severe agoraphobia, but she was curious at what kind of Bishop Lelouch would have made with the magical talent she discovered he had.

Lelouch most certainly did _not_ whimper in fear. He would maintain until the day he died that it was Issei. But once he finally regained his feeling in his legs, he rose and picked up his bag before he turned to look at Rias with a tired glare. "Where am I sleeping?" He just wanted to unpack, he definitely needed to rest before training considering this wasn't even the first day. The sounds of night echoed around everyone as Rias had Asia help Issei up, the poor Pawn was faring about as bad as Lelouch, and led them all into her vacation home.

"Welcome, to the Gremory Family private villa!" Rias declared as she threw the doors wide open, gesturing to the grand estate. "This is just one of many properties my family owns in the human world, but it's far enough away from civilization that I thought we could use it to train over these next few weeks." Turning to her lovely servants, Rias gave everyone directions to the rooms she had decided everyone could have.

Girls on the right, boys on the left was how she decided to split the bedrooms and Lelouch found himself unpacking everything he brought in a room that reminded him of when he lived as royalty. "As expected of a daughter of a Duke." Lelouch chuckled as he shut the top drawer and moved on to the next one. "This place is fit for royalty." As soon as he wrapped up his unpacking, he tossed his bag to the side of his bed and let himself collapse on the sheets. He sunk for a moment, before he leveled off. ' _Good sheets_.' Rias had some pretty good taste in luxuries. A snicker escaped his lips. "Who would've thought?" He mumbled to himself. He never would have expected something like this to happen to him even a few months ago.

Life… moved truly fast sometimes, he mused silently.

"Hey man." Kiba's voice sounded by Lelouch's door, prompting him to sit up and look at the door. Kiba was leaning on the door frame with a pair of boxers on and a towel thrown over his shoulder. "Everyone's goin to the hot springs to rest after that hike, you gonna come in?" The blond Knight asked his fellow Knight. "I can guarantee you'll feel better once the water works its magic on you."

Lelouch considered it, feeling his muscles protest before agreeing. "Sure, why not." Looking around, he grabbed a towel and followed Kiba down the hall. He wasn't gonna leave his clothes in his room. "A relaxing bath sounds like exactly what I need." His muscles were screaming at him, even now, it would be nice to take a dip in the water.

After stripping in the changing room and wrapping the towel around his waist, Lelouch found himself letting out a _very_ pleased groan as he sank into the water. "Oh yeah." This was exactly what he needed right now. His muscles had never relaxed so fast. The water was practically melting all of the stress right out of him. "This is perfection." He moaned happily. He allowed himself to sink a bit further until the water was up to his chin. "I think I know where I want to die a third time." Lelouch's joke was _terrible_ , but it elicited a snicker from Kiba and Issei, who had been the first one in the hot spring when the two Knights had arrived.

No prizes for guessing why.

On the other side of the wall that divided the hot spring, Rias and Akeno were discussing training strategies to try out tomorrow. Keeping out of the water, Koneko sat comfortably on the rocks and allowed the steam to waft over her comfortably. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, glaring down at the water as she stared at her reflection. The Rook stroked her right hand over the stones around her, eventually finding a stray rock. Glaring at her reflection, she tossed the rock into the water, the ripples distorting her image in the pool before she rose.

Koneko moved to sit next to Asia by the showerheads. Making herself comfortable, the hidden Nekoshou observed the blonde former nun poking and prodding her less than bountiful bosom while she pouted. "Sad you're not on the Double D team?" Koneko deadpanned while she grabbed a sponge. ' _At least you have something up top to grab_.' The Rook grumbled internally when she heard Asia agree sheepishly. The former nun was too adorable to get upset with, but Koneko had a feeling that, like Rias and Akeno, all she'd need to do would be to eat and everything would go straight to her tits.

The white-haired Devil had the opposite problem, to her consternation. If she didn't burn it off first, everything she ate seemed to skip her breasts and go right to her ass.

Squeezing the sponge tighter than she needed, Koneko scrubbed her arms a little harsher than normal. She wished she were bigger sometimes, at least then she would have less reason to be jealous of Rias, Akeno, and even Asia.

"Koneko?" Asia looked at her friend curiously, mildly concerned as the girl's grip on the sponge seemed a little… _intense_.

Back on the other side of the wall, things were going rather well on the men's side of the hot springs.

Lelouch was staring up at the clear night sky, greatly enjoying the warm water as it soaked into his bones. Or that was how it felt at least. "I've never really taken the time to look at the stars." He mumbled to himself quietly, ignoring Kiba and Issei's presence while he basked in the wonderful spring. He felt more rejuvenated than he thought. "The sky is so clear tonight." Perhaps there really was something to the "magic" Kiba had said, Lelouch thought that was just a turn of phrase.

"Hm?" Issei heard Lelouch's ramblings and looked up from his place near the wall, where he was trying to work up the courage to peek on the other side. He kept remembering what Koneko had done to him last time he peeked somewhere she was naked though, and he shivered in fear every time he tried to move to go look. "Huh, you're right." He admitted as he blinked in surprise, staring up at the sky. "I've never seen so many stars before, the sky never looks like this in Kuoh." That was a little surprising for the perverted Pawn.

Kiba looked up too, agreeing with his two friends. "I remember reading something about light pollution for one of my classes." He shared. "Human cities have too much artificial light and they end up blotting out the stars in the sky."

" **The Knight is right.** " Issei's left arm sounded out, the gravelly voice of the Dragon within drawing Lelouch and Kiba's attention. " **I've seen the stars change through the eyes of my previous wielders over the millennia, but this era is the only one I can recall where the stars are harder to see not because they have vanished but because humans have put so much light in the sky that only the brightest can be seen in a human settlement.** " The Dragon sounded a little bitter about that. Issei had held out his left arm so Ddraig's voice could be heard by the other two in the springs. "Wow, Ddraig, I had no idea." Issei's voice was mystified at what he just learned. "I never really thought about things like that before."

Things fell silent after that for a few minutes, everyone just enjoying the water, before Issei decided to get out of the hot spring so he wouldn't get wrinkly. Placing his hands on the wall to help himself climb out, he couldn't help but think about the bountiful booties and breasts on the other side of the wall, accidentally triggering a spell. Cracks spilled up the side of the wall before it began to break apart with a loud _crack_.

"Issei you idiot, what did you do now?!" Lelouch shouted as he scrambled back, careful to avoid slipping on the watery stones. Kiba jumped back next to him, Lelouch looked up at the wall to assess the threat and avoid seeing his fellow Knight without his towel.

"I swear I didn't do that on purpose! I have no idea what happened!" Issei begged for mercy as the wall began crumbling down faster than rain. ' _Fuck it_!' The Pawn mentally screamed as he scrambled for the place the two Knights had fled to. "What the fuck is happening?!" Issei shouted as he covered himself next to the two Knights, not having the time to grab his towel, and the wall finally came down with a crash.

The hot spring suddenly became a wave pool and the two Knights and Pawn suddenly found the stones flooded up to their ankles.

Steam erupted and the three Devils coughed as the hot air entered their lungs. Lelouch picked up the towels that had been washed over to the three Devils once he regained his breath. Ringing them out as best he could, he handed one to each of the Devils beside him before wrapping his own around his waist. He'd rather not expose himself so readily a second time.

"Issei! Kiba! Lelouch!" Rias' voice cried out worriedly as the steam began to clear. "Are you all okay?!" Without warning, a cold gust of wind blew through, clearing much of the steam faster than expected. Giving everyone quite the view, on both sides.

Kiba had been just a little too meticulous in ringing out his towel before putting it on and the breeze left him exposed for a moment or two before he blushed and put it on to cover his modesty.

Issei had yet to put his towel on as he did the same as Kiba, but once the steam cleared he wrapped himself up as quickly as he knew how. Unfortunately, the speed at which they did it didn't stop everyone from getting an eyeful, wanted or not.

Akeno's eyes widened. "Looks like our Knights aren't the only _gifted_ ones around here." She said teasingly, making Issei blush as she grinned playfully.

"Tits, boobies!" Issei erupted with a blush, very pleased with Akeno's comment. "I've never seen such a wonderful bouquet of big, beautiful, bountiful boobies!" Akeno giggled at his enthusiasm. His words had a different effect on everyone else.

"You're the worst." Koneko deadpanned dryly as she covered herself and hid behind Rias, suddenly thankful her assets were still easily concealed from prying eyes by her hands. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she was blushing as she realized that Lelouch was one of the ones who had gotten an eyeful before she concealed herself. Kiba had too, but knowing Lelouch had seen her so exposed sent her heart racing faster than she thought possible.

Asia yelped, a full body blush erupting on her body as she collapsed to her knees with her arms hiding her womanly charms. "Everyone… Issei… they…" A whimper escaped her lips before the former nun fainted, landing on her side with her face as red as the setting sun.

Rias sighed, as unashamed of her nudity as Akeno and willingly serving as a shield for poor Koneko, before she managed to get her blush under control. "Akeno." She spoke to her Queen with a stern warning in her tone. She had already seen Issei naked, back when she first healed him from the second time he had been attacked by Fallen Angels, so she had known of his _giftedness_ as Akeno had put it. Her blush was because she had seen more of Kiba than she ever wanted, though she did agree with Akeno's assessment there as well.

Lelouch sighed, not bothering to close his eyes because he knew it would be pointless. All he did was do his best to avoid staring below the eyes and focused on controlling his body's reaction. Issei suddenly collapsed like a puppet whose strings were cut, forcing Lelouch to grab him lest he crack his skull on the stone or crack the stone with his skull. Only Satan knew which one was harder at this point. He groaned aloud for a moment as he realized why Issei fainted. "Well, as your Pawn is currently pitching a tent, I'm going to leave him here." Lelouch said as he let Issei hit the ground. "Move him if you want, I'm going to bed." With that, the Devil Knight turned on his heel with a blush and muttered to himself. "This is ridiculous." Slamming the door open Lelouch walked into the changing room, Kiba followed him immediately after, shutting the door behind him.

Kiba chuckled heartily at the chaos Issei had inadvertently caused. He turned to change into his clothes, speaking to Lelouch as he did so. "I really do think that it was an accident this time." He admitted to the dark-haired Knight. "Issei would have been way more eager and excited if he had done that on purpose." Issei's confusion had been genuine, though the Pawn certainly didn't complain about the result.

"I gathered." Lelouch grumbled as he yanked his pants up, deciding to leave his shirt off as he was feeling too hot from the springs to want to wear it right now. "I'm going to bed. Here's hoping that I won't die during these next three weeks." Lelouch picked up his basket and towel and left the changing room.

It didn't take him long to find his room, he tossed the towel over his shoulder and turned the knob with a sigh. "I need some sleep." He mumbled to himself with his eyes closed as he moved to flick on the light. But the switch was already up. Opening his eyes, Lelouch mumbled, "Huh?" He blinked rapidly as he caught sight of Koneko changing out of a white robe, he assumed that had been what she wore into the changing room, into a nightie. She had no bra on as her top was sliding off her shoulders, though thankfully her panties were still on. ' _Huh, black suits her_.' He thought before dismissing the thought as the result of his exhaustion. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Lelouch closed his eyes. "Sorry, I must've taken a wrong turn." He shut the door and walked down the hall quickly before he reached his room.

Lelouch was positive it was his room this time as he caught sight of his bag tossed to the side of his bed. He shut the door behind him and left the light off, feeling his lethargy compel him to sleep after that long soak. Ignoring the incident where Issei's perversion had somehow managed to destroy the wall dividing the hot springs completely by accident, it had been a rather soothing way to recover.

He pulled his clothes off, they were still somewhat wet, and he dried himself off before he pulled on a different pair of boxers. As he tossed his clothes into a hamper, a knock sounded at his door. "Lelouch, it's me." Koneko's voice sounded softly through the door. "Can I come in?" At least she didn't barge in like he did by accident. Lelouch yawned and stretched before he sat on his bed.

"Sure, come on in." He spoke softly, his eyes drooping slightly before he fought off the darkness of sleep for a little while longer.

Koneko walked in, shutting the door behind her as she allowed her true features to show. "Hey." She murmured with a vibrant blush as she saw Lelouch was in just his underwear. He was skinny, skinnier than Issei and Kiba, but there were signs of muscles on him that kept him from looking like a stick. He looked good. Her ears were perked up, tense as she listened for anyone walking by the room, her tail was twitching from side to side.

"Sorry bout earlier, Shirone." Lelouch murmured through a large yawn, covering his mouth. "Forgot to head left instead of right." He stretched his arms across his chest, feeling so much better after that soak in that hot springs. ' _I wonder if there were rejuvenating spells cast on it_?' He thought to himself as he tried to fight off his exhaustion for a little while more while his friend was still in his room.

"It's okay. I didn't mind." Shirone whispered as she stood in front of the man who made her heart flutter. Lelouch's eyes widened at her admission. Suddenly feeling nervous, she added on to her earlier statement. "I know it was an accident, and you left right away. I know the perv wouldn't have done the same." Her voice went dull when she mentioned Issei.

"I see your point." Lelouch mumbled through a yawn, looking at his friend tiredly. "Why're you here?" His voice slurred slightly as he found his tongue rebelling against him. A tired snort escaped his nose at that thought.

' _Maybe now isn't a good time_.' The Nekoshou thought to herself as she noticed her friend's exhaustion. "I just wanted to say good luck tomorrow, training will be tough but I know you'll be able to do well." She said as her courage failed her. Turning, she left the room to head to her own bed, bidding the Knight goodnight.

As the door shut behind her, Koneko sighed. ' _I'm a coward_.' She thought as she looked down at the floor. The Devil slowly made her way back to her bedroom, angry at herself. ' _I'm afraid_.' She silently admitted. Koneko was afraid of what Lelouch thought of her, whether it was her physical appearance or other things about her that she wanted him to like.

When he had accidentally walked in on her changing into her sleeping clothes, her heart had stopped. Seeing him, dressed in nothing but his pants, a towel thrown carelessly over his shoulder, and a basket carrying the rest of his clothes in his arms had caused her throat to tighten and her heart to flutter rapidly. His hair had been all mussed up from the water and steam and his body had been glistening as he had yet to fully dry himself off.

Akeno's humming sounded out from the girl's room, prompting Koneko to look at the sadistic Devil's door before opening her own to go to bed.

The fifteen-year-old Nekoshou slipped out of her thigh-length white bathrobe, but decided to keep her black panties on as she crawled under the covers. The steam had soaked her well and she was too sweaty to want to wear anything else right now. She barely wanted to sleep under the covers.

Rolling around in the silk sheets as she tried to get comfortable, Koneko closed her eyes to try and force herself to fall asleep. ' _Why would Lelouch ever like_ me?' She wondered why she had ever entertained the thought as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Day one of training was proving to be utter hell.

Lelouch grunted as he carried a boulder that was tied to his waist up a hill next to Issei. His magic had recovered thanks to the healing properties of the hot spring, according to Rias, but because he had been cheating she was forcing him to build up his physical strength and Akeno was on standby to zap him with lightning if he showed any signs of using magic to increase his strength.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Akeno sent a bolt of _encouragement_ to Lelouch.

Lelouch twitched as he managed to bend himself out of the way and avoid having his ass shocked. _Again_. He glared as he heaved his way up just a little bit further, turning to give Akeno the evil eye as she giggled while sitting on his boulder. "I will beat your ass into the ground." He growled, his eyes flashing before another bolt of lightning nearly singed his hair. He jumped forward with a yelp, finally reaching the top where he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees.

"Promises, promises." Akeno jumped off and watched as Issei collapsed next to Lelouch, both of them panting in exhaustion, Rias jumping off of his boulder. "Alright, now that the first part's out of the way, it's time for the two of you to destroy the boulders!" Rias said, grinning at their hateful glares the two sent her and Akeno's way. "No magic, no powers, just your bare fists." She giggled, making herself comfortable on the ground as she prepared to supervise with her Queen.

Lelouch grumbled as he undid the rope, sighing as he was freed from his constraints. "This is gonna hurt." He mumbled, watching as Issei started up a little before him and shouted in pain after punching the boulder. Setting himself in a stance, he threw a hard punch forward as strong as he could.

The boulder didn't even budge. More dirt came off the boulder than anything else and, as Lelouch held his knuckles, he groaned. "This is gonna suck."

Four hours after he and Issei had their bleeding and bruised knuckles healed by Asia when it became clear neither of them was going to break their boulders, Lelouch found himself with Koneko alone in the woods while Issei was inside with Asia and Akeno to learn about manifesting magical power. Once again, he was forbidden from using his magical power to augment his strength, but, as he jumped to the side to avoid Koneko's right hook, he realized that his speed advantage was greater which allowed him to dodge Koneko's powerful, but slow, attacks.

"Good moves, let's see how you handle this." Koneko punched the ground, _hard_. Cracks appeared and they headed straight for Lelouch, forcing him to dodge. Right into Koneko's attack.

' _Damn, she only moved when she saw which way I was going_.' Lelouch thought to himself as things slowed down, Koneko's punch a foot away from pulverizing his ribcage. He shifted his left arm to block, wincing as he felt his forearm fracture, and retaliated with his right fist. Koneko caught it before he could hit her face and he swung his left leg up for a high kick which forced the Nekoshou to jump back and let his fist go. Lelouch held his left arm close to his body, attempting to avoid further aggravating his injury. He panted and sweat dripped down his face, he hadn't been this worked up since… he honestly couldn't recall.

"Good job." Koneko was impressed. She hadn't expected Lelouch to react as well as he did. "You sacrificed your left arm to protect your torso and retaliated immediately despite the pain." A flash of pride appeared in her golden eyes. "And when that failed you forced separation." She got concerned as she watched Lelouch fall to the ground.

Lelouch collapsed to his knees, shifting his body until he sat with his legs crossed and his arm held close to his chest. "Yeah, but the damage was too much, even if I prevented a worse injury by giving up my arm. I think I need to stop for now, I'm _exhausted_." They had been sparring for about three hours, and he had been up since _five_ when Rias dragged everyone out of bed. "I need to get my arm looked at and I need some food before I keel over and die. Again." Ever since they'd found out about his previous deaths he'd been making that joke, with varying success.

Kiba and Issei groaned, but found it amusing, Rias hated it and frowned the first time she heard him say it, Akeno giggled at his twisted sense of humor, and Koneko? Well…

"Please stop." Koneko asked as she helped him stand, grabbing his right hand to pull him up. "You know I don't like it when you make that joke." She got sad and, if her true features were visible, Lelouch had no doubt her ears would be droopy right now. Even now, her eyes were avoiding contact with him after what he said.

"Ah, sorry." He apologized. His sense of humor was not the best, but sometimes he couldn't help himself.

The Knight and Rook duo walked back to the main grounds in a comfortable silence. It didn't take them long to arrive and when they did, the first thing they saw was Issei getting jabbed by Kiba's sword. The Pawn grunted loudly as the weapon dug into his ribs with a twist before Kiba pulled back and allowed the perverted boy to collapse to the ground holding his ribcage.

"That was a kill shot." Kiba said seriously, twirling the wooden sword in his hands before he rested it on his shoulder. "You shouldn't raise the sword so high Issei, it leaves your vital organs wide open." Issei's attempt at a strong overhead slash had so many holes in it Kiba hadn't known which one to choose, ultimately deciding to go for the straight stab rather than a dodge and knocking the sword out of his hands. Control over his weapon could come later, right now the blond Knight wanted to work on getting rid of the huge openings in Issei's amateur sword style. "Well, that's enough for now, let's get some lunch." Kiba turned and caught sight of Koneko and Lelouch leaving the forest where they had been sparring. "Hey Lelouch, watcha makin today?" The Knight asked his fellow with a grin, eager to once again taste his friend's awesome cooking.

Lelouch's eye twitched as he held his arm close. "Nothing, not till I can move my left arm again at least." Asia would be getting some serious practice healing everyone over the next few weeks. "Also, why the hell can't any of you cook for once?" He complained as he, Koneko, Kiba, and Issei, once the boy picked himself up, all walked into the villa. "I'm not a miracle worker, honestly."

"Tell me that when your food doesn't taste like perfection." Kiba retorted with a laugh, slapping his sweaty friend on the back. "You're gonna make someone a wonderful wife someday." Kiba said with a wry smirk.

Issei laughed his head off before coughing and holding his ribs. "Good one." Issei snickered in a more controlled fashion to avoid hurting himself.

"I'm never getting married." Lelouch deadpanned as he ignored Kiba's joke, mildly surprising the group as they entered the dining room to find Rias, Akeno, and Asia setting the table.

"Huh, really?" Kiba asked, with a raised eyebrow. Issei made his way over to his seat and plopped down, nursing his sore ribs while Kiba remained standing to speak with Lelouch. Koneko reacted similarly, looking up at him surprised by his vehement denial. "Isn't it a little early to say something like that with such certainty?" Lelouch was his age and he had already sworn off marriage _entirely_?

"Nope." Lelouch sighed as he walked into the kitchen to start cooking preparing the food after Asia healed his arm. "I don't think anyone should have to put up with me for the rest of their lives." He gave an answer he hoped would suffice, not really interested in discussing the topic of marriage.

"Really, Lelouch?" Rias asked curiously as she watched him through the opening between the kitchen and dining room. He moved like a professional as he filled up the pots with water and began to take out ingredients from the fridge. "I mean, I'm not eager to get married to anyone right now either, but, as long as I can avoid marrying Riser, I don't exactly mind the idea of marrying someone in the future." All Rias wanted was to be able to choose who she spent the rest of her life with, she wasn't exactly against marriage entirely.

Lelouch broke some of the noodles in half before dropping them in some boiling water. "Good for you then." He commented as he moved away from the noodles and switched to the soup he was preparing. "I just don't like it, it's personal." He hoped they would leave it at that, he didn't want to end up ranting about how little marriage meant to him when he grew up seeing his father with over one hundred wives.

Issei wanted a harem, but Lelouch doubted even _he_ would want that many.

The rest of the Peerage left him alone to prepare the food and discussed how the training had been going so far and what was to come. For the first day, Rias wanted to start getting everyone's physical skills up to her standards, as well as see how well her newest members could handle the basics. Asia had a natural talent in manifestation of Devil magic, not that Lelouch was surprised considering that was how Asia's Sacred Gear worked, but Issei had trouble focusing and had only managed to release a small orb of light on his first few tries. Neither of them had done well with the boulder and Rias said something about how they were supposed to be able to break it with nothing but their physical strength by the end of the training if everything went according to plan. And while Lelouch and Koneko had been sparring, Issei had ended up training with Kiba after Akeno dismissed him to focus on Asia for a little while longer.

After some time, Lelouch finished up everyone's lunch. "Alright, it's done." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in satisfaction, looking out at the dishes he'd prepared rather quickly for everyone.

Aside from the Udon and the soup as well as some chicken and rice he had prepared, Lelouch had also prepared steak, salmon, some Italian pasta, and more. He also procured a number of different sweets, though he had a feeling Koneko wouldn't share very much. It had taken him over an hour to prepare it all, but Lelouch knew everyone would be hungry and so prepared a lot of different things for everyone to try.

"Dude, you are amazing." Issei said through his bite of the steak sprinkled with some spices and a little bit of sauce to keep it from being dry. The Pawn gulped down the steak and grinned, patting his belly. "If you were a woman you would totally be part of my harem." He announced, creating one of the most awkward silences in history.

Lelouch paused as he stopped as he slowly lowered his spoon back into the soup bowl. After a few minutes of letting the sixteen-year-old stew, he spoke. "What?" He voice was completely flat, daring Issei to say it again. "Do you want to say that again?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or did you jump back into your closet?" The reactions to that statement varied.

Rias splashed some water down her front as the water she was drinking went down the wrong pipe and she choked, trying to smother her laughter.

Akeno snickered while Asia, sitting beside Issei lit up with a blush.

Kiba chuckled, amused at Lelouch's retort.

Issei turned red and started to cough, choking on his next bite of steak at that insinuation.

Koneko just looked up at him from her place by his side and gave him a flat look. "You broke the perv." She deadpanned as she raised her fist. "Nice." She smirked when he gave her a fist bump, before returning her attention to Mt. Sweet. Udon lake had already been drained, now it was the mountain's turn to fall.

Her plate had looked like she had raided a candy shop.

A few hours after an eventful lunch, Lelouch found himself back outside with Kiba holding a wooden sword. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt, a pair of blue shorts, and a pair of white socks with his new black boots, about ankle height, covering his feet. He had purchased them the morning after he had ended up giving everyone a free show, needing new shoes after his first pair had been destroyed. Part of the reason he'd picked this pair was because of their steel toe insides, which would give him a little bit of an _extra_ boost to his kicks if he ever needed it.

"You're not bad." Kiba grudgingly admitted as Lelouch stood across from him, panting. He still held his sword well though, pointing directly at the blond Knight. "Better than I expected you to be. Have you ever used a sword before?" Lelouch wasn't acting like he was in some kind of anime, he actually had some kind of technique. Or at least shades of one, it was clear he was either really raw and lucky or out of practice.

Lelouch kept his eyes on Kiba as he slowly began to circle the Knight, like a wolf. "Not a sword like this." Lelouch admitted while he stepped slowly to his side, keeping an eye on Kiba as he didn't move from his position. "I'm more used to Western-styled swords than this kind." It hadn't been expected of him, but he had taken swordplay up as a hobby and Jeremiah had been all too willing to teach the young Emperor.

It was funny, Lelouch had often practiced with the sword that had ended up murdering him.

Seeing Kiba's attention shift towards the forest when Issei's voice rang out in pain, the boy was training with Koneko for the moment, Lelouch charged forward quickly. He slashed diagonally from Kiba's right shoulder to his left hip, or he would have if his strike hadn't been met by his fellow Knight. Grunting as the swords locked up, Lelouch feinted with a backstep, putting Kiba off balance and attempted to stab one of Kiba's thighs.

Kiba smirked as he fell forward, smacking Lelouch's blade with his own and sliding his wooden sword up the blade until it rested at Lelouch's neck. "My win." He said with a grin. Suddenly, he felt his side being tapped. When the blond looked down, he saw Lelouch holding the blade of his weapon against his side. His smile faded a bit. "Still my win, while you would have inflicted serious injury in a real battle, I'm a Devil, it's nothing I couldn't heal from given enough time." And that wasn't even factoring in Asia's ability to heal.

"Right." Lelouch sighed as Kiba took the sword away from his neck and rested it on his shoulder. "Forgot that the only strikes that can kill a Devil are those that are near instantly fatal." His strike wouldn't have cut Kiba in half, he would have lost his own head before that, all it would have done was give Kiba a massive cut in his side. But, as Kiba had said, a Devil could heal from that on their own. Though it would take time, unless he had allies who could avenge his "death", Kiba's attack had been more successful.

Had he managed to get the strike on Kiba's thigh to incapacitate him Lelouch would have probably won, but it was moot since the blond had blocked it.

Lelouch put his wooden sword against his shoulder, sighing as he allowed himself to fall to the ground. He was feeling disgusting, he had sweat today more than he had in ages. Sparring without the augmentations of his magical power had been a pain in the ass, his muscles were killing him.

"You did well." Kiba admitted as he watched Koneko and Issei come out of the forest, the perv limping rather heavily. "I was impressed by your tactics, though you need to develop more power behind your strikes if you want to be successful against any serious swordsman." Lelouch focused more on skill than power and, while that was good for his technique, his lack of power meant the strikes he did hit were too weak to be more than a mild irritant unless he struck something important.

The sun was setting over everyone as they all retired to the villa for the day. The kitchen was bathed in an orange glow as Issei and Asia cooked, Lelouch finally getting a break from cooking for once. His arms were too tired to lift all the cooking tools, he could barely hold a ladle, and Asia's powers couldn't heal stamina. He had to admit though, it was interesting watching them put together a meal using what they had learned from Akeno's magic lessons. Issei had a knack for cutting the vegetables and Asia had some seriously good control as she managed to get the water to a perfect boil, the pair together were about as good as Lelouch in the kitchen. They had a good chemistry together, though the odd look on Issei's face when he suddenly started peeling everything in the kitchen had disturbed Lelouch.

Unfortunately, Koneko walked by at the exact moment Issei finished peeling every single food with skin on it in the kitchen. Potato skins, peeled onions, and much more covered the kitchen, as did the rags of Koneko's clothing that had gotten caught in the crossfire while she had walked by the open door. She covered herself immediately and glared at Issei, turning to Lelouch, who was sitting at the dining table, with a blush. "Tell me Lelouch, what are the consequences of murder again?" She asked, her tone dead to the world.

Issei stared at Lelouch beseechingly, begging him to explain that it was an accident he had "peeled" Koneko, because he knew there was no way she would believe him, as she walked by the kitchen door. When Lelouch opened his mouth, he felt hope. Before it was crushed by the content of his words.

"Catharsis." Lelouch said with a grin, ignoring the look of betrayal and fear on Issei's face. "Depending on the target, murder can be very cathartic." Koneko nodded and sprinted back to her room to get a change of clothes and Lelouch turned to Issei. "I'd run if I were you. I'd say you have about ten seconds to plead your case." A growl echoed all the way down the hall and Lelouch adjusted his estimate. "Better make that five, hope you find Rias soon!" He closed his eyes with a grin, enjoying the sound of Issei running off to find Rias and beg for her protection.

After what had to be one hell of an awkward conversation, Rias' Peerage managed to sit down and enjoy a nice helping or ten of vegetable soup. Issei had gotten _really_ enthusiastic with the technique and peeled every veggie in the villa. For once, there was little chaos at the table, though Issei was staring at the girls rather intensely.

"Peel me again and I'll kill you." Koneko deadpanned, not impressed with the looks Issei was giving her and every other girl.

"I was just imagining you naked, I wasn't going to do that again!" Issei admitted a little too much in his defense.

"You're the worst." Koneko's eyes were half-lidded as their gaze pierced the soul of the perv sitting across from her. If she hadn't known for a fact he'd seen her and everyone else naked she would have been willing to bet Issei had never seen a naked woman in real life before.

"That's enough Koneko." Rias said with a placating smile, not exactly having enjoyed needing to mediate between a cowering Issei and Koneko holding a bookcase over her head, ready to smash his dick so hard he'd never get it up again. Koneko's words, not hers. "What everyone here needs is a relaxing bath, I've repaired and reinforced the wall in the hot springs so what do you say?" She looked around the table, hoping to see if her idea could bring everyone back together.

"I do need a bath." Koneko admitted grudgingly, sniffing herself and turning her nose up. "I stink." Her sensitive nose scrunched as she tried to forget her own scent.

"As do I." Lelouch agreed with Rias' suggestion and Koneko's reasoning, hoping to enjoy the waters without chaos this time around.

"What do you say, Issei, wanna join us in the bath?" Rias asked, teasing the Pawn she adored.

"I'm totally down for that." Issei said in a heartbeat. He'd try to resist the urge to bring down the wall again, but he didn't know if he could last.

"How about you join us on the girls' side?" Akeno teased with hooded eyes. "Get some real _skinship_ going on between everyone."

"Only if no one else minds Akeno." Rias ordered, grinning as she looked at Asia. "What do you say, would you mind if Issei joined us in the bath?" She asked the former nun.

Asia blushed vibrantly but shook her head negative. "N-No." She mumbled over her spoon, avoiding eye-contact with everyone.

"And you Koneko?" Rias asked, though she already knew the answer. Teasing Issei like this was really just too much fun sometimes. She could see why Akeno enjoyed doing this sort of thing.

"I'd rather die." Koneko deadpanned harshly, her focus more on her soup than being polite. Or tactful. Or just generally being nicer in her reply. ' _Now, if it was Lelouch…_ ' The Nekoshou thought silently with a blush.

"I bet I know who you'd prefer." Akeno teased her white-haired friend with a grin as she shot her eyes over to Lelouch, undressing him with her gaze.

"That's enough." Rias said, ending the debate. "Let's just finish up our meal in peace and take a nice, relaxing bath to calm down after a good first day of training." And, despite some chaos, it had definitely been a good day. The bath was nice, no chaos like there had been the previous night. It had gone better than Rias had honestly expected with Issei on the other side of the newly enhanced, stronger wall.

Rias thought over everything that had occurred today as well as her plans for tomorrow.

Lelouch had started a physical training regimen that would hopefully make up for his cheating with his magic, as well as his below average strength at the beginning, and make him adequately strong physically while Issei had started building up his fundamentals in magic and was increasing his base power slowly but surely. And Asia had gained a little confidence after spending time with Akeno, training on her ability to manipulate her Devil magic.

Koneko and Kiba were working on their own basics by helping her train the newest members of her Peerage and Akeno was working on her own time when not training the other three, preferring to work in private, Rias knew.

Tomorrow, she and Akeno would work more with Lelouch personally. She needed to work on developing her relationship with him and she could tell Akeno cared about him, she teased him almost as much as Rias teased Issei, so she would be able to observe their interactions and see how the Queen and Knight were getting along while Kiba and Koneko worked on Issei and Asia's physical skills.

* * *

Day two of training was less physically intensive, at least so far. Lelouch was pleased by this as he sat comfortably with his legs crossed deep in the forest with Akeno and Rias. His eyes were closed and he was meditating, dressed in the white jacket Koneko had gotten him after he first became a Devil since it was a little chilly and a pair of black jeans. His boots were a little muddy after their trek through the forest to get to this clearing, but they weren't too dirty. He had a black t-shirt with an image of the crescent moon on it under his jacket, though it couldn't be seen since he had his jacket zipped up.

Issei's scream of fear was faint in the distance, signaling just how far Rias and Akeno had led him into the forest in order to ensure the two separate training sessions didn't interfere with one another.

"Your power is rather impressive Lelouch." Rias commented, sitting on a root as she watched Lelouch meditate, sensing the level of magical power he had inside as he accessed it. Akeno was sitting on a branch a little bit above her, leaning against the tree trunk like Rias. "It's also impressive how quick you're able to access your well of power." The President looked up at her Queen. "Akeno, you were right. He really is a fast learner." Her Queen giggled teasingly.

"Oh, Madame President, you're making me blush." Akeno spoke playfully. "My cute little student is a fierce one, and the pain he can dish out is absolutely _scrumptious_." Akeno was excited she finally had a little bit of time with Lelouch away from Koneko, maybe now she could try and make some moves. "And that's just on the battlefield, who knows how much of a _tear_ he could go on in other aspects–" She was cut off by her "cute little student".

"That's enough, I didn't come here to hear you fantasize Akeno." Lelouch said sharply. He opened his eyes to look at the two highest ranking members of the Peerage. "How would you like to test my control, Rias?" He asked, bringing the focus back around to his training. "I've been fully recovered for a little while now." That hot spring had done wonders for him, he hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

He could see why Rias was addicted to the comforts of the hot spring, finding any excuse she could to take a nice, long soak.

"Let's start with External Will Manifestation." Rias decided after a few moments before she hopped away from the tree. "Now that you're healthy again, I'd like to see you manifest your core." External Will Manifestation was essentially pulling the core of magical power outside in a symbolic fashion so that it could be analyzed. It was what Akeno had worked on with Issei and Asia the previous day and Rias wanted to get an analysis of Lelouch's powers as well. Sensing wasn't the same as seeing, so it would help.

As Rias moved to stand in front of him, Lelouch opened his eyes and looked at the President. He remained seated and sighed with a deep breath. "Very well." He shifted his hands from his knees, where he had been resting them as he meditated, and held them about a foot apart in front of him with his palms facing one another. Darkness flickered in the center of the gesture before it grew.

And grew.

And grew.

Until Lelouch was panting, holding an orb about the size of a basketball between his hands. He was forced to widen the distance between his hands by about six more inches so he could avoid touching the orb and risk destabilizing it. "Huh, it's bigger than before." Last time he'd done this had been when he first started training with Akeno, it was only slightly bigger than a baseball. His arms trembled slightly as he felt the power trying to escape and _consume_ so he looked to Rias from his sitting position. "Is this good enough?" He asked, sweat sliding down his chin as he maintained as much of his focus on the orb representing his power as he could.

When Rias nodded, her eyes clinical as they stared at the power he was holding, Lelouch began slowly allowing the orb to shrink as he reabsorbed the power. Tendrils swirled out from the orb, slowly slipping back into the palms of his hands. The orb spun as it slowly shrunk until, with a small burst of air, it vanished back into Lelouch.

"Can you use any other elements, other than the Void I mean?" Rias asked once Lelouch no longer needed to maintain his focus. "I don't think I've ever seen you use an elemental spell that wasn't connected to the element without form." The Void was a different element from everything, whether it was the traditional elements like fire, the more technical kinds like lightning, or the two that were set apart from the others, differently from the Void, darkness and light. A Void was nothingness personified, emptiness without shape, an element without form. The fact that Lelouch could use it so easily, it honestly surprised Rias.

Devils' first elemental magic, if they even used elemental magic, was often of the element that represented them the most. Most started with the basics like fire or water, depending on their natural inclinations, she had never heard of anyone starting with Void. Not even as a bloodline like her **Power of Destruction**. If she got the chance, she'd have to ask her brother about it. He'd know more than her about this kind of subject since he was the Devil King.

"I can shape it so that it has the appearance of other elements, but I can't give my magic properties other than Void if I'm using an elemental spell." Lelouch explained, having already tried that a few times. A bolt of Void that was shaped like lightning, a flame of Void energy, anything he tried to do still had only characteristics of Void and Void alone.

The only two spells he had for the moment were those of his Arm of the Blackest Knight and his shield spells. Every other spell originated from his apparent gift for utilizing the powers of Void.

"I see." Rias frowned in thought. It was too bad she had another elemental specialist, Akeno wasn't nearly as good as she was with other elements as she was with her lightning. "We might be able to use it for some good deceptive tactics, especially if you can shape it into a flame." Black flames weren't unheard of, but they were rare. Even amongst the Phenex family. If she could bluff that her Black Knight had the power of black flames, it could send Riser's Peerage into disarray at a critical moment.

"Speaking of tactics, I'd like to help with that." Lelouch offered his services to Rias, drawing a look of surprise from her. "I'm not just good at chess, I'm not a half bad tactician." If C.C. heard that she would have doubled over in laughter. It was probably the most understated thing he had ever said. "If you share what you know about Riser's Peerage with me, or even just the knowledge of where we will be fighting, I can help you come up with some good strategies to use."

Rias smiled. Maybe this would be a good way for her to connect with her Black Knight. "I would appreciate that, but unfortunately I don't know about Riser's Peerage beyond the stories and I'm not allowed to access his previous matches since that would give me an unfair advantage." A frown graced Lelouch's face at that, prompting her to continue. "This match isn't official, and since it has a wager attached to it the ones who are directing this don't want either side to have an unfair advantage over the other." There was one thing she was willing to bet on however. "I do have an idea of where they'll have us fight though, Rating Games occur inside an alternate dimension created by our technology that replicates the terrain of a given territory in the human world." It was a similar kind of thing to the barriers that Devils, Fallen, or Angels set up so humans didn't get involved in their battles, only on a much larger scale and for much longer periods of time.

For the terrain, she was willing to bet that the terrain would be something she was familiar with to compensate for her lack of experience compared to Riser in Rating Games. Something she knew that he knew nothing about, it was almost certainly going to be Kuoh Academy.

"I can work with terrain." Give him a mountain with underground springs, sufficient numbers of explosives, and he could take down an army. Lelouch wasn't happy that he couldn't analyze Riser's strategies personally, but he could deal with only having Rias' stories. It would be an enjoyable challenge.

"We can talk later about strategies. I'd like to work on your training for now. Maybe we'll get to it in the second week of training." Rias shifted direction back to their main purpose. "I would like to see what kind of spells you have, would you be willing to demonstrate what you've developed so far?" She made a mental note to teach him some of the more traditional spells, as she was planning on doing with Issei once his magical power had increased sufficiently. Same with Asia, only Lelouch had enough base power to work spells that were unrelated to a Sacred Gear right now.

"Sure thing." Lelouch grunted slightly as he stood, his legs feeling mildly stiff. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In and out. The cool autumn air washed over him in a soothing breeze. "This is the first spell I used, its name is the **Power of the King**." He opened his eyes and they were a searing crimson. "I am not using it right now, but all I need to do is flex my power in my eyes and I will be able to force anyone to follow any order." Lelouch allowed his eyes to return to their natural violet with a shrug. "But I've learned that, unless my magical power is greater than my target, they won't have to obey, they'd just shake it off." That was what he suspected happened with Raynare. His power had only temporarily overwhelmed her own, forcing her to _suffer_ until her own magical power forced the suggestion from her mind.

"Interesting, so this is what you used on Raynare." Rias gave Lelouch an interested look. "That's some seriously powerful suggestion spell you've got there, even if you have to have a greater magical power than your target. Magical power level fluctuates in battle so, if you manage to conserve your energy for long enough you might be able to command those who are stronger than you at the outset." Perhaps she had more in her arsenal than just Issei's Boosted Gear. The crimson coloring was rather interesting, all Devils possessed some kind of suggestion spell that turned their eyes red like blood, but nothing as powerful as what Lelouch was claiming his powers were capable of.

And she had seen it with Raynare, forcing a Fallen's mind to turn against itself, even for a second, was an amazing feat.

Lelouch demonstrated his other spells, from one of his first spells like his **Void Shot** and the variations he developed and his shield spells. **Negate** and some of the variations he developed had interested her, but not as much as the fact that, rather than red with the Gremory Family Crest, the magic circle was dark with a different sigil. Rias was intrigued by the sigil on his magic circle considering most of the time a Devil in a High-Class Devil's Peerage ended up using that family's sigil for a long period of time.

For his last spell, Lelouch focused on summoning Void energy to his right arm. Lelouch smirked as he beheld the gauntlet that went up to his bicep. It appeared to be growing stronger. "I like to call this one the **Arm of the Blackest Knight**." Rias snickered at his pun, prompting a wry grin from him. "I don't quite know how I created it, but it helps me conserve energy whenever I cast my other spells and gives them a bit of a boost." Lelouch chose to leave out the fact that it appeared to steadily be making its way up his arm considering the last time he had used it, the gauntlet had only gone up to his elbow.

Those were all the spells he had developed. Less than he'd like but still a respectable number of spells and variations.

"Magical power, for Devils at least, responds to our wishes." Rias said, which caused an interesting look to appear on Lelouch's face. "It's common for spells to develop spontaneously in a moment of great emotion and considering the first time I saw it was when you had killed the Fallen responsible for your death I have no doubt what kind of emotion spawned this one." Rias was mildly nervous about the next subject, but she needed to know Lelouch's peak strength and so, with mild trepidation, she went to her final topic before the training would begin in earnest.

' _Wishes, huh_.' Lelouch thought to himself, kind of amused. He had once said Geass was like a wish, apparently his new powers responded to wishes. It was an interesting evolution from having the power to "request" a wish to his own power "responding" to his wishes. A sardonic grin flashed on his face for a moment before he got serious at Rias' next request.

"Akeno has told me that you also use the Sin of Wrath to increase your powers. I would like to see you use it, just to increase your power not to spar or anything." Rias clarified when Lelouch opened his mouth with a hesitant look in his eye. "I just want to see what your power is at its peak."

Lelouch remained silent as he thought over Rias' request. A hesitant sigh escaped his lips. "Very well." He turned his attention to Akeno. "If I get out of control, knock me out as fast as you can." His Wrath was no joke, he didn't want to take chances.

Focusing on his emotions, Lelouch slowly began loosening the tight control he usually maintained over them. He slowly, _slowly_ , undid the mental blocks he had, shunting _guilt, sorrow_ to the back of his mind and focused on his overwhelming _hatred_. On how he wanted to _kill, kill, destroy_ , Lelouch shook his head to force himself not to listen to the feelings but allow them to _flow_. He trembled as he fully unleashed the feelings behind everything he hated and allowed his power to connect with these emotions and desires before he became outlined in his energy.

Rias took a few steps back as she watched tears streak down Lelouch's face before an aura of _cold-pain-HATE_ black energy burst around him, shading his body. It was cold, colder than the autumn air, colder than anything she had ever felt before, but she could feel the Lelouch's power peak. It was higher than she expected for a Knight who had been a Devil for less than two months, but Lelouch's magical power at his strongest was still less than Akeno when she was fully ready to fight seriously.

Her new Knight still had a way to go if he wanted to have his primary style revolve around magical combat and be effective in a true battle.

"That's enough." Rias ordered, not having any effect on Lelouch who opened his eyes, they were crimson as his **Power of the King** appeared with a bloody flash. He charged forward in a head on dash. "I said, that's enough!" She swung her arm out to the side, summoning her shield. When the punch Lelouch had thrown with his right arm, his gauntlet was still there, clashed against her crimson barrier, darkness slowly started overtaking the shield where Lelouch's armored fist hit it. ' _What_?!' Rias' eyes widened before a flash appeared directly over Lelouch's body and tackled him to the ground.

"Down boy!" Akeno shouted as she pressed her knee down in the middle of Lelouch's back. "That's enough out of you!" Her own power burst forth and slowly overwhelmed Lelouch's energy until it was forced into submission.

Lelouch panted as he regained his senses, his violet eyes looking at Rias with exhaustion. "Sorry." He mumbled, grunting at the weight of Akeno on his back. "Get off." He demanded tiredly. Akeno had his right arm in her grip, pulling it back against his right shoulder and she was putting her full weight down on his spine. It was not comfortable in the slightest.

"Nuh-uh." Akeno shook her head, tugging his right arm to force him to grunt in pain. "You just attacked your President, I don't care if you lost control, you shouldn't have tried to go beyond your limits." They had _talked_ about this sort of thing, back during their training sessions. "You should have been more careful. Now, apologize." Akeno tugged at the clawed fingers Lelouch currently had, brushing her finger along the sharp edge. ' _I can see why he didn't want to fight me while being influenced by his Wrath more than a little_.' Akeno thought silently, though her face was flushed. ' _It could have hurt so good_.' She thought excitedly. But without control her fun would have been limited since she would have had to use her stronger attacks which had the serious chance of harming him and she didn't want to do that.

Hurt yes, harm no. She was a sadist, not a monster.

"Fine, I'm sorry Rias." Lelouch apologized through his grunts of pain as Akeno pulled his arm in warning. "I underestimated how much stronger I've gotten and forgot to prevent my emotions from overwhelming me." Lelouch always had such _strict_ control over his feelings that, if he allowed himself to feel them in their entirety, there was the risk they would overwhelm him. Before now, he had been weak enough that his power wasn't boosted too high by his Wrath, even if it was doubled or tripled, but now that he had some actual strength without the boost he had to have even tighter reign over his Wrath if he didn't want to be consumed by it.

"It-It's okay, Lelouch." Rias looked at her Black Knight who grunted as Akeno let his arm go and stood up. He shifted his arm around to try to loosen the muscles Akeno had been pulling to keep him trapped and allowed his armored gauntlet to vanish and dissolve into smoke as he covered his face with his hand. "I forgive you, I just hope you understand that Wrath is the most risky of all the Sins for a reason." She knew he knew, but some lessons bore repeating. "Wrath can never be fully satisfied, not even by destroying the object of your hatred." She knew Lelouch didn't hate her, he drew on something within himself, perhaps memories of his family considering what he had shared about them, but since they weren't there he had no clear target if he was consumed by his Sin.

Which meant everything became a target.

Lelouch panted as he allowed his power to fade, feeling emotionally drained. He put his hands over his eyes, suddenly bothered by the sun's light bearing down on him. "Can we please stop for now?" He asked, feeling exhausted. It had been a few hours and the sun was high in the sky, draining him to the bone. "I could use a little rest after this." When Rias gave no indication that she would refuse him, he turned to leave the clearing and head back to the Gremory villa. Before he left, he overheard a question from Rias.

"Lelouch, what do you hate so much that you would claim the Sin of Wrath?" Rias asked softly, as she watched her Knight leave with a limp. He was holding his right arm close his body and he was hunched over. She couldn't get the tears she had seen for a moment out of her mind. "Just what in the world do you hate that much?" She asked, desperate to try and understand her Knight.

Lelouch leaned carefully against the tree to his left. He remained silent for a moment or two before responding. The darkness was comforting. A tired smirk graced his face, unseen by Rias and Akeno. "What in the world huh." He chuckled. "That's a funny way of putting it." As Lelouch walked into the forest, away from the President and her Queen, he answered them.

"That's my secret, Rias, but know that there is more than one thing that I despise enough to be willing to claim the Sin of Wrath."

* * *

After he arrived back at the villa a few hours ago he had secluded himself in the library, one of the few rooms with no windows. He left the lights off as he sat down on the couch with his jacket unzipped, shoes kicked off somewhere around the front door of the villa, and focused on regaining the control he had lost during his training. It took him a few hours of intensive meditation to do it, but he finally got his internal turmoil back under control. He had spent the past few hours essentially chaining down everything that had been unleashed during his training session, which was currently postponed until tomorrow so that he would be fully functional during his lessons.

He had disguised it well, but he was willing to bet that Rias had sensed he was an emotional wreck on the inside after losing control.

Lelouch didn't deliberately seal off all of his emotions, he still wanted to _feel_ , but if he didn't want to be overwhelmed he had to make sure that the only emotions he allowed to the surface were those that he could manage with ease. The more volatile emotions, the kind that fueled his Wrath, were too risky for him to allow to run wild. It was like chaining down a rabid dog.

Currently, he found himself staring up at the ceiling with Koneko on his lap. His right arm was thrown over the back of the couch and his left was wrapped around her waist, holding her against him as she marked something down in the book on her lap.

Koneko had claimed her place on his lap as soon as she had found him after getting back from training Issei. Said Pawn was laying down on the couch across from Lelouch, with Asia sitting at his feet, both of them red faced and twitchy while Kiba sat in one of the chairs near them. Rias and Akeno both sat at the head of the coffee table that was in between all of the comfy furniture in the library. Rias was skimming over the report on Koneko and Kiba's training of Issei and Asia, while also working on the next lesson for everyone. "And the names of the highest ranked Angels are what?" She asked while she took mental note of what Koneko and Kiba had said about their training of Issei and Asia.

They had played a game of high stakes tag, forcing the Pawn and Bishop to try and outspeed Kiba and defend themselves against Koneko's physical assault at the same time. The pair had fared better than she thought, though Issei had fallen to Koneko's grappling techniques and Asia was too weak to take more than one punch from the Rook the pair's speed was impressive when they were fleeing.

As the healer, Asia needed to be able to either defend herself or escape regardless of the situation and she was pleased to see that Asia was taking the training seriously, taking Kiba's advice on how to steadily increase her speed and stamina. Issei was a seriously sturdy Pawn, and he was rather quick, but his technique was unbelievably raw. The both of them were raw in their own ways, but they had potential. Asia would never be a powerhouse and Issei would likely never be the most graceful of fighters, but Asia's determination to be able to escape so she could heal her friends and Issei's sheer stubbornness would turn them into effective forces in their respective talents.

"Michael and Uriel are the only two I can recall of the top of my head." Lelouch answered, his eyes not leaving the ceiling while Koneko marked whether or not he got the answer right in her answer key on his lap. "Pretty sure there's another one a Renaissance painter was named after, but I can't quite recall."

"Raphael." Asia answered for him. "You're thinking of Raphael." She looked at Lelouch curiously, wondering something. "Have you read the Bible before? Most people I know only speak of Michael if they know any of the Angels' names at all." Asia's faith had been strong and she had pretty much memorized the Bible during her time as a Holy Maiden before she had been excommunicated.

"I've read the Bible and a lot of other holy books." Lelouch shrugged, ignoring the looks he got. "I was curious about what the big deal was, I can guarantee I would have paid far more attention if I had known it actually had some stuff that was true." He had read the books out of a desire to ensure he knew this world's history as best he could, up to and including the belief systems that were the most influential. "I think the last time I read it was over the summer, I haven't touched one since I became a Devil." Lelouch grinned sardonically. "Didn't exactly seem like the best idea."

The others in the room chuckled, before Issei chimed in with his own guess. "I think there was another Angel who was rather high too, wasn't his name Gabriel or something?" Asia looked at him scandalously. "What, did I get his name wrong or something?"

"Gabriel's a female Angel, Issei." Rias spoke, her tone fond as Issei's face suddenly started to imagine her heavenly body. "I can understand your confusion though." She turned the page after marking down the answers everyone had gotten correct. "Now, onto the Fallen. Can any of you name the leaders of our second worst enemies?" She asked, her eyes scanning the room.

Lelouch hummed in thought. "I know there was one referenced in the Bible, Koka-something or other. I think he made a bunch of others Fall with him, if I remember right." But that was all he could recall.

"Half credit, for that answer." Rias looked at Lelouch as he gave his answer. "His name is Kokabiel and he is one of the strongest Fallen Angels in their faction. Can anyone name any others?" Rias asked, turning her attention to Issei, who was still laying on his back on the couch, and Asia at his feet.

"I never read the Bible." Issei admitted ruefully. "I never really looked into Fallen Angels before. I have no idea who the leaders of the Fallen Angels are." Thankfully, it was the first academic lesson they were having together so it wasn't too bad to admit he had no idea.

"Shemhazai, one of the Watchers who, along with a number of others, were cast out of Heaven for succumbing to the Sin of Lust." Asia began, her tone solemn. "Armaros and Penemue, two of the many who Fell alongside Shemhazai. Baraqiel, a Fallen Archangel, and one of the few to Fall in modern times. Tamiel, previously known as the Perfection of God, is another Fallen. Sahariel, the Fallen Prince of the Lord. And finally, Azazel, he who made Angels Fall like rain." Everyone stared at Asia who blushed at all the attention. "Ah, I… sorry." She bowed her head. "I got a little carried away." Her voice was soft and her face was a little red.

"Wow, Asia, you really knew all of those off the top of your head?" Issei asked as his eyes remained wide as he sat up and stared at his friend. "That's awesome!" He wrapped an arm around her in a hug. "You're a genius!" He laughed proudly.

"That's impressive Asia." Rias said with a grin. "You got every answer correct." Her former nun turned Bishop really knew her trivia. "Don't apologize for having knowledge, Asia. Knowledge is the only weapon against ignorance." She finished, waiting for the moment to die down before moving on. "Now, let's move on to the leaders of our faction. The Devil Kings." Her eyes scanned the room. "I know we haven't had a lesson like this before so I won't bother asking if you know, I'll just tell you and test you on your knowledge of these subjects during the last week so that I can make sure you know those who are the leaders of the Devils." She took a deep breath and let it out.

"At the top are the four Satans, the four Great Devil Kings who succeeded the original four after the Devil Civil War." Rias began. "They are Sirzechs Lucifer, formerly Gremory, Ajuka Beelzebub, formerly Astaroth, Falbium Asmodeus, formerly Glasya-Labolas, and finally Serafall Leviathan, formerly Sitri. Each of these four has the power to obliterate Japan in, honestly, probably under a minute. Singlehandedly." Though Lord Falbium, having embraced the Sin of Sloth, would probably take longer due to his sheer laziness. "I won't get into the history of the Devil Civil War right now, I just want to make it clear that these four are on top for a reason and that reason is they are, by far, the strongest Devils that exist." Rias sighed, taking a moment before continuing. "They all had to give up their family names to take their titles to avoid causing chaos in the Seventy-Two Pillars, who are the next ones in our hierarchy. Before moving on to them though, I would like to say one more thing." Rias looked at Issei playfully. "It's the Four Great Satans who determine when a new Devil is eligible to receive a Peerage." Issei's eyes lit up at that, and she knew he was thinking about his dream to be the Harem King. "Anyway, the Seventy-Two Pillars are all made up of High-Class Devils, but the number of families eligible to claim membership has shrunk to thirty-three due to the fact that thirty-nine others have mixed with non-Pureblooded Devils or died out and have lost their status as a result."

Lelouch blinked at that, not having expected that to be the reason why the Seventy-Two Pillars had declined to thirty-three. He snorted quietly, listening as Rias began to list off the families who had been cast out before continuing with those who remained amongst the Pillars. The families hadn't been wiped out, though some undoubtedly had, they had just become less "pure". What an idiotic metric to use. Lelouch hadn't expected Devils to be so obsessed with purity as to kick out families of high rank just because they were no longer one hundred percent pure as a family. So long as they still had power, what was the point of whether they were pure or not?

Such pointless social stratification reminded Lelouch of Britannia, where nobles who inherited their wealth and power were considered more prestigious than those who had amassed equal or greater amounts of both solely because of the fact that they'd had such influence for centuries longer. It seemed he truly fit in with Devils better than any other faction, their system being something he was all too familiar with.

The next lesson was on Exorcists, both Stray and loyal. Lelouch paid attention with half an ear, curious about what it would be like to finally meet the Devils who ran Hell.

As a Knight for the sister of the Lucifer, he had a feeling it would be an interesting meeting.

* * *

It was late in the night, or early in the morning, by the time Lelouch awakened alone in his room. He awoke peacefully for once, staring up at the ceiling from his bed on top of his sheets dressed in nothing but his boxers as he enjoyed the coolness of the autumn night. He had gone to bed after a thankfully uneventful dinner and an intriguing lesson in the factions as well as their leaders and common followers. Lelouch's face remained blank as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, turning when he saw his curtains blow in as a breeze knocked his window open. "Great." He murmured sarcastically, shifting with a soft grumble as he walked over to the window that led to a balcony so he could overlook the vast expanse of the Gremory villa. "You'd think they'd invest in some locks strong enough to prevent the windows from being blown… open." Lelouch blinked at the sight before him, arms open as he prepared to shut his bedroom windows. His eyes narrowed in rage, his **Power of the King** and his Wrath _burning_ like never before.

Having learned his lesson, he kept the rabid dog that was his Wrath on a tight leash, but he could feel it straining to be let loose to destroy the being before him.

" **I don't know who the** ** _fuck_** **you think you are, but if you keep wearing that face I will** ** _erase you from existence_** **. How dare you.** " His voice was soft, but it was by far the most dangerous tone he had ever used in his life. " **How** ** _dare_** **you wear her face.** "

Nunnally's face shifted into a pout and the shapeshifter in front of him spoke. "But, Big Brother, aren't you happy to see me?" The _imposter_ asked. "I've missed you so much." She was dressed in the same red dress he had her put in the day of his execution and barefoot. The only thing that was wrong with the appearance was the eyes.

Nunnally's eyes had _never_ been that cold.

" **You have ten seconds. Ten.** " Lelouch began counting down out loud, not deigning to respond to the _faker_ in front of him.

"Oh, you're no fun." The grey eyes of the imposter narrowed and Nunnally's form melted away in flecks of dark light, revealing the body of the one who had stolen the face of his sister for a reason beyond his comprehension. "I just wanted to get your attention, Lelouch vi Britannia." A girl much shorter than Nunnally spoke, a serious look on her face.

Her clothing was… _odd_. She had a strange hairband on top of her head, holding back her black hair from falling into her grey eyes, with a magenta ribbon tied around her throat. She was wearing a dark jacket that appeared to be high quality, two purple pieces of cloth crossed her pale stomach, meeting behind her back, but that was all that covered her torso. Her breasts were in full view, small as they were, and her nipples were covered by two crisscrossing pieces of black tape for some reason. She was also wearing a pair of white cloth shorts that had magenta ribbons just above her knees and a pair of shoes also topped with a set of magenta bows.

He ignored her appearance, able to sense that this little girl was anything but. What may have appeared indecent was most likely just the eccentric choices of a creature that was so far beyond humanity she, or potentially it, was uncaring for human norms or traditional conventions in regards to clothing. "Well now, you have it." Lelouch felt the power of this _thing_ in front of him, he knew his **Power of the King** would be useless. _There was no end_. It felt like he was staring into eternity when he tried to feel for her magical power. "Don't ever do that again." He ordered, waiting to see just what was about to happen. The only hope he had of getting out of this without getting destroyed would be to find out what she was and what she wanted, but that didn't mean he would accept this _thing_ in front of him using Nunnally's face.

He would die before he allowed his memories of Nunnally to be tainted.

"Very well." Her grey eyes closed for a moment as she waved dismissively before she opened them again, a twisted look of excitement entering her eyes. "I've waited far too long for this moment." She vanished and Lelouch grunted as he suddenly found himself on his back with the terrifying girl sitting on his thighs, her left hand on his stomach forcing him to remain on his back. She held up her right hand and carefully placed her palm over the scar on the center of his chest.

Three fingers brushed the tips of the three prongs of the scar, her thumb brushed the bottom point, and the circle with the symbol for Infinity in the center that was overlaying the symbol began to glow with a darkness beyond mortal comprehension. "It's time for you to _remember_ , my Demon Emperor." The world twisted and Lelouch, with the Dragon God sitting on his lap, vanished into the swirling vortex.

No one was aware of what had happened, and they would not know the consequences of the event that just occurred for some time, but one thing was certain.

Things would never be the same. Times were about to change, maybe not right away, but the future of this world had changed dramatically tonight.

* * *

 **For clarification, the first and last scenes take place on the same day, which is three days after the meeting with Riser. Everyone arrived at the villa on the night of the meeting with Riser.**

 **Also, don't worry. I won't be writing out every single day for the training days, but there will be two more chapters of training. One to deal with the ramifications of the end of this chapter and one more to wrap things up.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed my scene at the beginning with Ophis and Vali, with side commentary from Bikou and Kuroka. I thought it'd be fun to have Ophis** ** _work out_** **her frustration on Vali and Vali, being the battle maniac he is, wouldn't back down until he was literally forced to by Ophis binding him down.**

 **If you enjoyed the new chapter, please feel free to review it.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	10. Chapter 10: A Demon's Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: A Demon's Revelations**

* * *

Lelouch blinked as he found himself standing nude in a vast, white emptiness. "I know this place." He mumbled, his voice echoing around him. He recognized this realm, he had been here before, with C.C. Suddenly, the whiteness _melted_ away in streaks of rainbow light and he suddenly found himself staring at a body dressed in nothing floating in a realm that was incomprehensible to mortals. "Is that… me?" He asked softly, watching as his corpse floated lifelessly in the odd, colorful realm in front of that terrifying girl. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, I recognize this place." He had once had a dream about it, back when he had been suffering from a number of different dreams he couldn't clearly recall.

" **Welcome to my memories.** " The voice of the one who dragged him here resonated from every direction. Though, for some reason, it didn't feel like even the _concept_ of direction mattered in this realm. A figure appeared beside him to observe the memory. The figure, both the one in the memory and the one beside him, appeared in the form of the terrifying girl whose power appeared endless, and both were as naked as he was in the present and past.

"Why do you look like that and why are we naked?" He asked the girl next to him, who stared up at him with a confused expression.

"I have chosen to take this form, which is why I appear like this in my mind. If I had a different form outside I would look different in here as well. And as for the lack of clothing, why should I care about the decidedly human norm of modesty within my own mind?" The terrifying girl responded simply. Her voice was less all-encompassing as she limited her speech to her mental avatar.

That… actually made some sense. He'd had some experience being in other minds, someone's avatar always appeared as they saw themselves at that time. A shapeshifter probably had the same logic behind it. And as for the clothing nonissue, well he had been naked in C.C.'s mind when he fled to try and rescue Nunnally during the first Black Rebellion.

' _I wonder, does it have to do with self-acceptance_?' He thought, wondering about why he occasionally had clothing on inside someone else's mind, but didn't at other times. Clothing, within the mind, was purely symbolic. Perhaps not having any within one's own mind signified they accepted who and what they truly were, regardless of the masks they wore in life. Ignoring his musings on the nature of acceptance of the soul, Lelouch turned to observe what the dark-haired girl was revealing to him.

The girl in the vision was poking him in the cheek with her knees pulled up to her chest, as if she were seeing if he would awaken. It was odd, seeing such a childlike action from a being whose power he couldn't fathom. Eventually, the vision version of Lelouch began to stir, his eyes opening to reveal a cloudy violet. The Lelouch observing narrowed his eyes as his past counterpart began moving his mouth, no words coming out. "I should have been dead, how did you revive me?" He asked the girl who was staring out at the same scene he was. There was no way he should have been able to survive his wound. Or the cremation that followed. Odd magical realm or not.

"I did not." The girl stated firmly beside him as the version of her within the memory began to speak.

" **So, you've finally awakened.** " The voice of the memory rang out everywhere around Lelouch as he observed with widened eyes.

"Wait, if you didn't revive me, how…" Lelouch's statement drifted off as his eyes began to widen in horror. " _Code_." He whispered as despair began to flood his heart. "How?!" He screamed hysterically as the memory paused, the attention of the girl beside him being fully turned to him. He looked to his side to stare down into her grey eyes. "How, _why_ , do I have that cursed power?! What are you?!" He screamed, power surging around him as he lost control over his emotions and fully faced the girl before him.

Suddenly, his power was forced into submission so fast Lelouch felt numb. His power, his _Wrath_ , the rabid dog that personified his powers in his mind, was _cowering_ as he stared at the _monster_ standing before him in the form of a little girl. Energy blacker than the deepest void, darker than the darkest night, nothingness given form, infinite in its span, _exploded_ from the girl. Her hair whipped about in the nonexistent wind her power was creating, revealing her oddly pointed ears, as she cowed him into submission.

" **I am Ophis.** " Her voice rang out without moving her mouth, the power still pouring out of her small body in a pillar that reached for eternity. " **I am the Dragon of Infinity, the Ouroboros Dragon of Eternity, the Infinite Dragon God who rules uncontested over my home, the Dimensional Gap.** " Without warning, everything stopped as the girl suddenly sat down with her knees pulled to her chest and pouted. She was dragging her finger in circles with a cloud of depression hanging over her head. "Or at least that's how it was before _he_ showed up." Her voice spoke the word "he" with such venom Lelouch half-expected her to literally spit poison, but the pout she had on her face kind of ruined the effect.

Numb to everything at this point, Lelouch sat down in front of the little girl who looked so pitiful despite her apparently infinite powers. "Why don't we start over at the beginning?" He suggested as he crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap to protect his modesty. Ophis' eyes looked up at his despondently. When she nodded, her chin still resting on her knees, he asked his first question. "How did you know about my existence?" He recalled she had called him by a title whispered in fear around his world.

The Demon Emperor, it was not a title the world called him to his face, but he was well aware that was what people whispered under their breath. All while shouting, "Emperor for Justice" for everyone to hear so that they could avoid suffering from his wrath.

Ophis stared at him, her grey eyes still despondent as she answered. "As ruler of the Dimensional Gap I can observe other worlds." Her voice was soft as she spoke of her home. "When I saw a man by the name of Charles zi Britannia creating a weapon in my world I began paying attention in the hopes that I could use it against _him_." Once again, she spoke of her mortal enemy with hatred. "He was trying to kill the God of Humanity, the Collective of the conscious and unconscious minds of all humans everywhere, living or dead. If he succeeded, or looked like he was about to succeed, I was going to steal it and kill Great Red." Here, her eyes developed a spark of joy and a disturbingly cute smile graced her face at the thought of cold blooded murder. "But you stopped him." Ophis' eyes shined with interest and _hunger_ as she looked at him. "You, who claimed to be a man of miracles, broke the law all Gods know to be true." Her despondent appearance changed as she laid her legs down to cross them like how he was sitting. Ophis had a _look_ on her face as she expanded on her previous statement. "You used a power that held the ultimate concept of **Command** , greater than that held by even Gods, and drew a lot of attention when you ordered the God of Humanity to obey your wish." Ophis' eyes were shining with a dark sort of joy that wasn't reflected on her face, which still held that innocent smile.

' _Was my Geass really that powerful_?' Lelouch thought to himself, disturbed by the hungry look he could see in Ophis' eyes as she spoke of his power. "That doesn't explain why I ended up in your world after my death." He spoke, noticing she had limited her answer to how she knew about him. It looked like she would only answer his question directly, though she would at least go into some detail as she answered. This odd girl with infinite power was rather straightforward and selfish, from he what he could discern. His mind was recovering from the shock he had undergone, but he still felt numb as he tried to comprehend everything.

All of this talk of his Geass being stronger than a God's will and Gods observing him after he stopped his father's plan was starting to feel overwhelming.

"When you left the World of C as those in your world called that part of my realm, I watched you." Ophis admitted, the hunger in her eyes growing. "I watched as your powers of **Command** grew even more powerful as time went on and eagerly awaited the day I could speak with you personally." Her eyes flickered to her feet as she flexed her toes, the cloud of depression returning over her head. "But I couldn't enter your world, so I had to wait until you returned to mine." She looked up at him, her grey eyes staring at him with a haunted look. "I've only had one other time when I was unable to claim what I desired immediately and having to wait again, it was _miserable_." Her tone was dead, as if she had learned the true nature of suffering during her wait for him to return.

Lelouch resisted the urge to snicker at how spoiled she sounded so he raised an eyebrow instead. "It was only a few months after I stopped my father that I ended up dying, surely it wasn't that long." Suddenly, he found himself on his back and the girl was sitting on his stomach as she throttled him, her small hands wrapped around his throat much tighter than would have been possible for another girl her size.

"It was the second most infuriating experience of my life." Her tone was still soft as she stared down at him, her eyes blank. "I am the Dragon God, Ophis. I take what I want, when I want, and **_allow no one to stand in my way._** " Her tone was beyond terrifying and Lelouch shivered, still staring up in the eyes of the naked girl who was sitting on his stomach as she choked him. Her power was beyond imagination, he needed to tread far more carefully when dealing with this being than he ever had before. Her small hands left his throat and Lelouch found himself breathing normally, oxygen not existing within Ophis' mind. The only thing her choking had done was cause him pain as his mind was tricked into thinking it couldn't breathe. His heart was imaginary in here, but he swore he could feel it hammering against his ribcage.

"Please get off me." Lelouch requested softly, and the Dragon girl complied. Reset to their earlier positions, though one was far more cautious than before, they continued their conversation. "How did I arrive there, in the Dimensional Gap?" He thought that was what Ophis had called her home. "My body was supposed to be burned after my death." Numb as he was emotionally, he still felt a flash of despair.

"After you died, killed by whoever wore your mask, and you were burned I stole your ashes and brought them into my world." Ophis answered, a small smile on her face. "I used my power to reconstruct your body as best I could, but." The smile flickered for a moment. "You were still dead and I got upset." Needless to say, that was when she poked him.

"Please continue your memory then." He asked, his voice empty of feeling. He didn't know what to think, perhaps observing the memory could give him some insight as to what he wanted to do next. Or what he even could do.

The memory reformed in front of them as they sat beside one another, observing the past. As Lelouch watched Ophis poke his cheek again, prompting his cloudy eyes to open, he had a question. "How am I watching you from this perspective, when your body is over there?" He asked softly, ignoring the sound of Ophis' words echoing around them as she spoke in the memory.

"The Dimensional Gap is my home, I can see everything that's inside of it, including myself." Ophis' soft voice sounded next to him.

That must make for some odd memories Lelouch mused, but who was he to question the ruler of the void between worlds.

Lelouch felt memories flickering at the back of his own mind as he watched Ophis' recollection occur. "I think I remember this." He murmured as he watched his past self try to move in the odd realm he found himself in. He remembered a sense of fear, feeling as if he was trapped inside of his own body, before it was relieved by _something_. He couldn't recall what, but as he watched the memory he learned what he had forgotten.

The Ophis in the memory spoke. " **Don't forget your power, young Demon Emperor.** " And a distant roar echoed far from the odd pair of Dragon and Emperor. The Dragon girl in the memory placed her hand on his chest, over a Geass shaped scar on the center of his chest. Similar to what she had done to drag him into her mind, Ophis placed her hand over the scar and it glowed so dark Lelouch wondered how he was able to see it. A soundless scream burst from the Lelouch in the memory as a circle with the symbol for Infinity in the center was grafted over the scar that symbolized the Code he carried inside his soul, a perfect circle encapsulating it at its highest and lowest points.

" **What did you do to me?!** " Lelouch heard his voice ring out in terror within the memory as he clutched at his chest, hand over the scar and concealing it from his sight.

" **You now bear my gift, allowing you to survive in my realm unburdened.** " Ophis' explanation in the memory echoed around him and Ophis as they observed the memory play out. " **In exchange, I want something from you.** " Before she could request her wish, the largest creature Lelouch had ever seen in his life suddenly appeared. With fangs the size of skyscrapers, scales as red as blood, and golden eyes that looked down on everything in existence, Lelouch got his first glimpse of the legendary Dragon known as Great Red.

The only reason he didn't scream was because he found himself utterly frozen by sheer terror.

Ophis frowned and blasted her memory with a blast of energy that rang out like cannon fire. "Great Red." She growled viciously with a cute pout.

Lelouch felt himself unfreeze once the visage of the most terrifying creature he had ever seen was blasted away along with the memory, leaving himself and Ophis alone in her inner world that bore a great resemblance to the Dimensional Gap but wasn't. "What… What _was_ that thing?" His raw voice whispered, terrified of the enormous Dragon. His body wouldn't stop _trembling_.

"That was Great Red." Ophis stared sideways away from him, the cloud of depression returning. "He's the Dragon who stole my home from me and he won't leave me alone." Her face burrowed into her knees out of frustration. "I tried everything I could do to make him leave, but I can't kill him and I can't force him to leave." Turning slightly, she looked at Lelouch out of the corner of her eye. "That's how I lost you, actually. I tried to force Great Red into a portal and you fell into it, I've been looking for you ever since." Her voice was pitiful.

' _It was… a mistake_.' Lelouch thought incredulously, as his fearful trembling from earlier slowly began to subside. He had thought he was sent to another world as a punishment, but it was just a mistake made by a God who wanted to use his power force another God to leave her home. _It was a mistake, not a punishment and he hadn't been paying the price for his crimes_ _ **at all**_. He felt his self-loathing begin to overwhelm his mind before he sealed it off. ' _I can't deal with this right now, I have to be patient_.' Having a breakdown in the mind of the Dragon God was not ideal. He needed to be strong, he could figure out what he needed to do later.

The world began to fade as Lelouch asked one final question. "What do you think I could do to that thing that you haven't already done?" He asked, his voice reflecting his mental fatigue.

He found himself somewhere in the forest when he came to, the Dragon girl who had dragged him into this world sitting on his lap, thankfully they were both clothed this time. Though she was still dressed oddly and he was still wearing his boxers. She was staring up at him as she held her hand over the scar that signified his complete and utter failure. "I wanted you to use your power to make Great Red go away." Her voice was childish as she spoke her desire, but the undercurrent in her tone revealed her true nature as a Dragon with power beyond understanding. "You can do that, right?" She asked, twisted hope and hunger shining in her greedy eyes.

Lelouch spoke, unintentionally crushing Ophis' dreams. "No, after obtaining the Code, Geass is sealed away. Forever. Whatever gift you gave me merely replicated its functions, not its power." He now knew why his eyes shined with the infinity symbol enclosed by a circle whenever he used it, despite the coloring remaining the same as the original. It wasn't the same power as before, it was a replica.

Ophis frowned childishly. "That's not fair! I created that gift for you while I was waiting for you to return to my world so you could help me." Her eyes fell as she stared at the scar on his chest. "I reconstructed your body and gave you a gift based on one of the strongest Sacred Gears I knew of so that, when you could finally help me, you would be able to stand up against Great Red and return my world to blissful silence." Why had she failed to replicate his power of Geass? Did it have something to do with this Code he had mentioned twice now?

Lelouch resisted the urge to retort that life wasn't fair in response to Ophis' complaining. This Dragon girl could kill him in a heartbeat or make him suffer unimaginable pain if she _couldn't_ kill him. He took a moment to digest her words before speaking up. "Just what _exactly_ did you give me as a gift?" He asked carefully, wary of angering the Dragon God sitting on his lap. He was feeling more fear than he ever had before.

In response, Ophis grabbed his right hand and held it in front of her. As she brushed her fingers over the back of his hand, his gauntlet appeared in response to her touch. And she frowned. "You still haven't awakened your full power, but considering you only awakened it a little while ago I'm surprised at how much it's grown." The armor had snaked its way up to halfway up his bicep. The fingers were sharp claws, and the armor was in segmented plates all the way up the arm. The dark gem on the back of his hand held Ophis' attention as she brushed her finger over the orb. "You've absorbed a lot of power from your victims." She said with a smile that didn't match the context of her words.

Lelouch allowed his hand to remain limp while the oddly dressed Dragon fussed with his gauntlet. "What do you mean, absorbed?" He asked. This was a rare opportunity to learn about the powers he had been using since he became a Devil.

Ophis looked up at his eyes, still caressing his gauntlet like an artist playing with her prized work. "I am the Dragon who rules the void between all worlds that have ever existed and will ever exist, the power I gifted you with may have been based on a Sacred Gear from this world, but I enhanced it by giving it properties of my powers because I know of no one other than I who can stand against _Great Red_." She spat the name with a hiss. "All must one day be consumed by the void. Humans, civilizations, even dimensions must one day collapse. Your power, though not a Sacred Gear, is connected to the power that birthed me because I felt it was only right that my ally have access to the capabilities of the Void. When you kill your target, you are able to consume their power. But you still have a way to go before you are able to claim all of their power."

So, it appeared that every time he killed an enemy he absorbed some of their power. Lelouch recalled some instances of when he observed his gem consuming the blood of his targets. ' _So, that's what it was doing_.' The gem absorbed the blood of his target and stored power away until it was needed to increase his reserves. Which would then permanently increase the reservoir of energy at his disposal once the energy was converted into his own power.

"What is the Code?" Ophis asked, tilting her head to the side, drawing Lelouch from his musings. She let his arm go and his dark gauntlet faded. "And why does it prevent you from being able to make Great Red go away?" Feeling a little uncomfortable, she shifted her position on Lelouch's lap. Sitting with her back to his chest, she looked up at him as she waited for his answer. ' _I don't see the appeal_.' Ophis thought, wondering why the Nekoshou she had seen a few days ago liked this. When Lelouch's hand was raised and he placed it on her head, Ophis felt her eyes widen. And when she felt him start to comb his fingers through her long hair, she closed her eyes in bliss. ' _Oh… oh my_.' No one had ever treated her like this before. ' _This is nice_.' No one had ever touched her unless it was in a fight or they wanted some of her power.

Come to think of it, Lelouch was also the first person she had actually had a full conversation with about her problems without being asked for more power. If she could get him to join her he would definitely be her favorite.

Once Ophis shifted into the position Koneko often sat in when she was on his lap, Lelouch instinctually began petting her on the head. ' _What am I doing_?!' He froze as he realized he was treating the Dragon God like his friend. He moved his hand before he answered Ophis' question, placing it by his side despite his hand twitching as it instinctually wanted to continue.

Koneko had trained him a little too well it seemed.

"There were two powers in my world that were supernatural in nature." Lelouch began to answer, feeling nervous about how the Dragon on his lap would react to his answer. "Code and Geass. The wielders of Geass are contracted to Code Bearers and they obtain a unique power as a result of the contract. What you saw me use in the World of C was my Geass, but if you didn't revive me after you reconstructed my body then that means I somehow inherited a Code from my world and that means my Geass is forever inaccessible to me. Immortality has replaced my Geass." Though, the fact that he had a lesser version of his Geass as a result of Ophis reconstructing his body from the ashes was intriguing. Regardless of the fact that she was attempting to reconstruct his body with his Geass still intact, it was clearly a fundamental law that those who have Codes cannot also wield Geass, which was why his replica power required he have greater magical energy than his target if he wanted to force them to obey rather than forcing them to obey regardless of who they were.

It was a limitation that prevented it from being a true recreation of his Geass.

"But what about the power you said I replicated?" She asked with a pout that developed when he stopped petting her head. She grabbed his hand and put it back on her head, silently encouraging him to continue. "Can't that make Great Red go away?" She asked as she closed her eyes, Lelouch's fingers scratching their way slowly through her long hair.

When Ophis put his hand back on her head, Lelouch treaded carefully before answering her childishly phrased question. "This power replicates the functions of my Geass, but I need more magical power than my target in order for the effects to take hold." He doubted he would ever have more power than Great Red and so his new power would likely never be able to "make Great Red go away" as Ophis wanted.

"If you join me, I can train you." Ophis offered, pouting once her offer prompted Lelouch to stop petting her. "I'll live forever, I just want to make Great Red go away so I can have my home back." She whispered her offer as she turned her head up to stare into Lelouch's eyes. "I want to return to the silence of the world I was born in, I just want my peaceful silence back." That was all she wanted. Well, that and Great Red's head.

"Join you?" Lelouch's tired voice asked, yawning as he saw the sun begin to rise over the horizon, illuminating the petite form of the Dragon God who sat on his lap when she responded.

Ophis told Lelouch about the Khaos Brigade and Lelouch had to resist the urge to laugh. A group that brought members from all factions together to accomplish a goal none could accomplish on their own? If Ophis' target were a nation rather than a Dragon then she basically would have just recreated the Black Knights and he suddenly found it very amusing that it was the Dragon girl on his lap who was the one who dragged him into this world.

"I can't join you yet." Lelouch answered Ophis once she finished describing her group to him. "If you can give me a little time to think it over, I will seriously consider your offer." Her offer to give him training in his powers was a tempting reason to join right now, but Lelouch wanted to avoid becoming a terrorist again until he gave it some serious thought.

Ophis pouted, but acquiesced to his request. "Fine, you have until the end of the next human world month." She wanted him _now_ , but if he was always trying to escape he would never help her achieve her dream of a world of silence with Great Red's severed head serving as a reminder of her wonderful victory.

The time she gave him should be more than enough for him to think things through. With that, the Dragon who ruled the Dimensional Gap reluctantly rose from Lelouch's lap and vanished in a swirling magic circle. "Stay alive." She ordered before she vanished, missing Lelouch's despairing chuckle.

Tears of despair slipped out of Lelouch's violet eyes as he stared at the rising sun. "I can't die even if I wanted to." He mumbled, scratching at the scar that he finally recognized as bearing a resemblance to C.C.'s scar beneath her left breast, with the only alteration being the one Ophis had made, overlaying it with her own sigil, when she gave him his powers.

This must have been how C.C. felt, wanting to die and having that right denied by the power of the Code's curse of true immortality.

* * *

Rias had observed Lelouch who had been acting oddly the past few days while she stood across from him in the forest surrounding her family's villa. It was Friday, almost the end of the first week of training and Lelouch had begun acting odd on Monday. He hadn't smirked, quipped, or even reacted to Akeno's teasing during training, simply absorbing all of their lessons with a dedicated ruthlessness she hadn't expected from her Knight. Whether it was combat magic training with Akeno or learning how to use communication and teleportation circles from her, he worked on everything virtually emotionless in his actions, but efficient in his studying.

That had been Monday.

Tuesday, he had been training with Kiba. A mix of swordplay training and racing to work on being able to attack while on the run, something that Lelouch would normally complain about considering he was still forbidden from using his magic to augment his physical capabilities. But he didn't say a word. Kiba had confided in her after the training that Lelouch hadn't said a single word during the training except inquire when they were done. Once Kiba said when they were done, he remained mute for the entire training session. And the focus he showed was… _intense_. Kiba had admitted he would have been impressed if Lelouch hadn't been acting so oddly.

He was taking training seriously, far more seriously than he ever had before and that sent up some red flags for everyone who knew him and how little effort he tended to put into things.

On Wednesday, Koneko reported the same thing. Every technique and attack Lelouch used was brutally efficient and he fought through wounds that had previously incapacitated him. If she didn't know that her Rook and other Knight were more than capable of sensing when Lelouch was about to use magic to augment himself, she would have thought he was cheating again. Regardless, Lelouch had become colder and more reckless in his training so she decided to see for herself how he was acting by setting up a spar.

She had set up a plan for Lelouch to work with Issei and Asia yesterday and it hadn't gone well. At all. Issei tried to engage in a little banter with Lelouch, who was having none of it. When she signaled the start of the spar, he began brutally dismantling Issei and Asia to such a degree that the pair still twitched whenever they saw him. Issei lasted long enough for only two boosts before he was knocked out and Lelouch just took one look at Asia and she started to cry.

Somehow, that had gotten through to him and she had seen the first emotion on his face since the week started.

Disgust.

Rias focused on personally training Lelouch today, allowing Akeno to work on Issei and Asia so that the pair didn't have their hearts crushed again. While her Queen repaired her Pawn and Bishop's feelings, she ordered her first Knight and Rook to spar as she handled Lelouch. She needed to get to the bottom of whatever was driving him to act so cold to everyone. And to do that she was going to fight him.

Standing across from her Knight dressed in her school uniform, Rias observed his countenance.

Her Knight was standing across from her, hands in the pockets of a long-sleeved black jacket that had a split tail that went to his knees. It was unzipped, revealing his dark blue tank top and black jeans held up by a silver belt and a pair of ankle high black boots. His face was blank and his eyes were ice cold as he stared her down.

"I don't know what's wrong with you this week, but I'm going to find out if I have to beat you down until you're exhausted." Rias declared as she allowed her power to elevate beyond her base levels. Dark red energy began coalescing around her body and the ground shook before her.

Lelouch's response was to remove his jacket and throw it behind him, leaving him in just his tank top. "You're welcome to try." Was his retort as he allowed his gauntlet to form and his power to flare like hers. It was probably the tenth statement he made to anyone in her Peerage all week.

Rias stared with narrowed eyes at the gauntlet, it was halfway up his bicep now. She hadn't realized before, but it was growing in power rather quickly. Still though, it wasn't a Sacred Gear. With a blast of crimson energy towards Lelouch, she started the battle.

As she had expected, he sped off to his left, right arm raised to shield himself from the debris as her blast hit the ground and trees around him while he circled her. Quickly, he managed to get behind her and she flared her wings, allowing her to dodge his strike at her back by taking flight. She flipped in the air and sent her leg out in a low kick aimed at his head as she rose into the air. He ducked and she flapped her wings to gain a little distance in the air, blasting power from her hands as she retreated higher and further away into the air. Lelouch, clearly not willing to remain so he could be hit or shield himself, flared his own wings and weaved his way through her spell orbs to head straight at her.

It was reckless and stupid, something he never would have done the week before.

With his speed, he managed to catch up to her rather quickly and she summoned a shield to block his punch. When the gauntlet made contact with her shield, darkness began spreading from the point of contact and she smirked. Rias allowed her wings to vanish and, as gravity yanked her down, aimed her attacks up towards Lelouch who was still committed to breaking her shield. He tried to pull back, but he got hit by a few of the orbs and smoke erupted as he was hit. She knew that wouldn't be enough to take him out, so she strained her senses to prepare for a counterattack and sped away to gain a little bit more distance. When Lelouch burst forth from the smoke, his tank top half shredded, and charged down towards Rias on the ground, she was prepared.

With a snap of her fingers, a magic circle appeared far beneath Lelouch on the ground, where she had originally been standing, and a pillar of power burst out of it. Her Knight was consumed and she quickly deactivated her trap to make sure he wasn't seriously hurt. His form was smoking, but thankfully his clothes were mostly intact. Nothing her new spell couldn't fix, but she was more concerned about the dark burns she could see on his feet, legs, chest, and arms.

He hadn't reacted, even though she was sure that last hit had been painful.

Lelouch collapsed out of the sky, a smoking wreck, and Rias flew forward with her wings, catching him with a grunt. "You've gotta stop stealing Koneko's sweets." She joked, signaling the end of the spar. Lelouch's body was twitching sporadically and Rias frowned. He hadn't said a word. "I'm going to set you down now, and we are going to have a nice, long talk about why you've been so cold to everyone this week. Am I understood?" She carefully laid her Knight down on the grass that hadn't been scorched by her attacks and placed his head in her lap.

When she placed her hand on his shoulder and began healing him, he finally made a sound. "Fine." He spat, finally showing a reaction as he winced in pain when she touched him. "What do you want to know?" Lelouch stared up at her, a defeated look in his eyes. Ever since Lelouch had learned the truth from Ophis, he had been thinking about his past, both in this world and his original one.

Everyone in Rias' Peerage, even Issei, was a good, kind hearted individual at their core.

And he was nothing like them and so he didn't deserve any of them.

He was a monster who had killed millions of innocent people solely to engender the hatred of the world and he needed to be punished for his sins.

He had done _terrible_ things as Demon Emperor and, when he arrived in this world, he had thought it was a well thought out punishment designed by a God for the sake of ensuring that he never got to enjoy the peace he brought about or even know if he succeeded. So, he figured he would make the most of his punishment and try to live a peaceful life. Becoming friendly acquaintances with Koneko and Kiba had been an accident, but he hadn't minded their company. Becoming a Devil was something unexpected, but after he had been killed by the Fallen Angel, what he thought was supposed to have been a death arranged for him by a God to punish him further, he decided to again just go with the flow and make the most of it. He had seen no need to punish himself when his very life was being manipulated by a God intent on ensuring he was punished for his sins in his previous life.

Finding out that every single thing that had happened to him had been because of Ophis' greed in desiring him to use his power and a mistake she made that resulted in him arriving in this world, that it hadn't been part of some _grander_ design to punish him, drove him over the edge.

He had thought that, merely by existing in this world, he was atoning for his sins in the previous one. It was anything but that. By enjoying his life here, he was spitting on the sacrifices _everyone_ had made to bring peace to the world through his death. And to top it all off, he was unable to die and he couldn't correct the oversight without cursing somebody else with the power of immortality after he gave them a Geass and they killed him once it became sufficiently evolved.

Geass may be like a wish, but it had also caused far too much chaos in his world for him to be willing to allow it in this one. Code was more than enough, even if he wished he didn't have to bear that particular curse.

So, Lelouch brought it upon himself to try and find out the appropriate ways to atone for his crimes against humanity back in his world. He needed to face judgement.

He began the process of cutting everyone out of his life, giving everyone the cold shoulder in response and working hard to _hurt_ himself and them as much as possible during training to drive them away from him. But seeing Asia cry had made him recall Nunnally's tears at his death and he felt his heart tremble before he squashed the emotion inside of him with his self-disgust.

He deserved to have her hate him, he deserved to have everyone despise him even if he was on their side.

"Why have you been acting so cold to everyone Lelouch?" Rias asked softly, beginning to heal his burns. Asia would still be too scared to approach him so it was up to her for the moment. "Everything was fine over the weekend, why have you been pushing everyone away?"

Lelouch sighed, allowing the healing magic to wash over him before he replied. "I remembered something." Technically it was true, he did recall a little bit when Ophis showed him her memory. "You once asked why I chose to claim the Sin of Wrath?" Lelouch eyed her for a moment before she signaled for him to continue with a nod. He closed his eyes. "I hate the world." He admitted with a whisper. "The world will always reject monsters like me, and so better I reject the world first." He spoke, remembering Suzaku's words on Kamine Island as his identity was revealed to his best friend and worst enemy. "My very existence is a mistake. I don't deserve to have friends, I don't deserve kindness or compassion." Staring up at Rias seriously, an empty grin came across his face.

"I'm not kidding when I call myself a monster."

Rias stared down at the Knight who had been acting so recklessly all week. "You are such an idiot." She cupped his cheek to forestall any retort. "You are my precious Black Knight." Rias spoke fondly. "I don't care about what your life was before you became part of my Peerage, my family, but I do think you have been acting very stupid these past few days." Returning to her healing spells, she continued. "You are amazing, your intelligence is greater than almost anyone I know, your learning curve as a Devil is ridiculous, and, despite your best efforts, I can tell you have a heart buried deep inside of you just yearning to breathe again." She paused for a moment to allow her words to sink in before she continued. "I don't know why you sealed away your heart or why you seem so intent on causing pain to yourself and others, but all of us, Issei, Kiba, Asia, Akeno, Koneko, and myself, we all care about you. Not because we have to, but because we want to."

"I killed my little sister." Lelouch admitted, Rias' teeth clicked shut at that statement. He would regret Euphie's death every day of his life. He spoke, tears dripped out of his eyes as he remembered the look of pure _confusion_ on her face as she collapsed after he shot her. He would never be able to forget that look. "I betrayed the only family I ever loved, my closest friends, and everyone I ever cared about. And I've done so much worse, what else can I be but a monster?" He asked, expecting Rias to attempt to kill him or disown him or some such thing.

What he didn't expect was for Rias to lift him up from his prone position after she finished healing him and hold him close with her chin resting on his shoulder.

"I still care about you, Lelouch." Rias said honestly. "I don't care about your past, I trust you. I have faith in you." She held him close, her arms squeezing the unresponsive Lelouch tighter. "When Kiba begged for me to save your life, I didn't know what I was getting into, I only had a Rook and a Knight Piece remaining, but because he was so adamant that you deserved to live I chose to bring you back as my Knight." She leaned back, holding onto Lelouch's shoulders as she tried to look him in the eye. He was looking to the side, avoiding her eyes. She cupped his cheek tenderly. "You're hurt, and you've been hurt for a long time, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to live in happiness." She kissed him on the forehead in a motherly way, intending to try and give him some comfort.

Lelouch smiled blankly, feeling hollow at Rias' words and her sign of affection. "You should have just let me die, I deserve nothing less." And now that was forever beyond him.

Rias looked at him with a sad smile. "I don't know, members of the Gremory Family are notorious for being rather greedy." She said with amusement in her eye. "I may not have known what I was getting into, but now that you're my Black Knight I don't plan on letting you go without a fight."

A hollow chuckle escaped Lelouch's lips. Agree to disagree, he figured. "Fine." He conceded, feeling tired. "You win, I'll try to loosen up." He lied. Lelouch didn't plan to stop trying to atone for what he did, but he would stop trying to drag Rias and her Peerage down with him.

"That's the Lelouch I know." Rias said with a grin. When Lelouch turned and stood to retrieve his jacket, a breeze blew some of his hair away from the back of his neck. Her grin shrunk as she caught sight of an odd symbol. "Huh, where did you get that tattoo?" She asked, drawing a reaction from Lelouch.

"What tattoo?" Lelouch asked as he applied the clothing repair spell Rias had developed and taught every member of her Peerage a day or two ago. His shoes and pants were repaired before he directed his attention to his dark tank top. Lelouch had never gotten a tattoo in his life.

"It's on the back of your neck." Rias explained as Lelouch picked up his coat and swung it over his shoulders. "It kind of reminded me of a bird."

Lelouch paused as he stood in the shade as he slipped his arms into his sleeves, his eyes widening unbeknownst to Rias. ' _So, that's where the mark was_.' He thought to himself, resisting the urge to chuckle. The mark of the Code was on the back of his neck while the scar from the wound that he had received upon his first death was on his chest. He would literally be bearing the curse of immortality on his back and heart. "Bird huh, probably just a birthmark. I can't exactly see back there after all." Lelouch walked into the forest as the sun finally finished setting, deciding to take a walk rather than teleport back to the villa. "I'll meet you all back at the villa, I would like a little fresh air so I'll take the long way."

"Alright, I'll let you collect yourself, but I expect you to apologize to everyone when you get back." Rias ordered sternly with a smile, allowing her magic circle to return her to her villa in a flash of crimson magic.

Lelouch laughed brokenly once he was all alone in the dark forest. It would take far more than words from Rias or her friends to convince him that he could be forgiven. All that she had managed to convince him to do was leave them out of his decision to seek justice for all those who died by his hands.

* * *

It was late at night by the time Lelouch returned to his room at the villa and when he did he found someone waiting for him. Koneko was curled up outside of his door, her features revealed as they always were when she was asleep. Her black panties were visible because her plain white oversized t-shirt was riding up on her side, but Lelouch was more concerned at the fact that she was _asleep outside his door_. His steps were quiet and Koneko was apparently in a deep sleep as she didn't wake when he knelt by her side. A hollow smile graced his face as he shook her shoulder. "Hey, wake up." He whispered softly. "There's no way this is comfortable." His voice was quiet, but it managed to rouse the Nekoshou from her sleep.

Koneko yawned cutely before she rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. "Lelouch." A happy grin came across her face before it fell. "Are-are you still mad?" She asked, her ears drooping despondently. Her eyes avoided his as she stared at the floor. "When you didn't come back for dinner I got worried. I came to see if you had gotten back after everyone else went to bed, but when you weren't here I decided to wait." Koneko's explanation was rushed, as if she were afraid of angering him. "Please don't be mad." She put her hands on her head and curled in on herself, like she was trying to protect herself in case he decided to hit her.

' _I've been too cruel_.' Lelouch thought to himself, observing Koneko's shivering form. "I'm not mad at you." He promised, gently pressing his hand down on her head. She twitched in fear, much like how she did when he first touched her, before she began to relax into his petting. "I'm sorry for dragging everyone into my own problems." All he did was cause pain to everyone around him. He would need to make sure that everyone didn't get dragged into his problems in the future. A yawn escaped his lips, drawing one from Koneko as well. As he rose, she did as well, her oversized shirt covering her down to mid-thigh. Before he entered his room after opening the door, she tugged at his jacket carefully. "What is it?" He asked softly, watching as her tail remained slumped and her ears remained pressed to her head.

"Can we please talk?" The Nekoshou asked softly, staring up at him with a beseeching look. "I promise I won't bother you." Her eyes shined with a cautious hope, nervous about his response.

Lelouch looked at the hopeful girl before him and sighed. "I didn't plan on going to bed for a bit anyway." He lied, turning to enter his room. "We can talk as long as you like." It was the least he could do considering how much he had hurt her the past few days.

The only one who needed to suffer was himself, Rias and her Peerage didn't need to be collateral damage.

He walked in and shut the door after Koneko walked in after him. Lelouch removed his jacket and tossed it on his dresser before he kicked his shoes off so he could remove his socks. Left in his pants and tank top he removed his pants to put on a pair of shorts, leaving his tank top on. Turning after he changed, Lelouch saw Koneko staring at him with a blush by his bed. Sighing, he knew what she wanted. He set himself up by leaning his pillows up at his headboard and laid back against them. "Come on." He said, gesturing to his lap. "I know it's been a few days." He grunted as Koneko practically teleported to his lap, forcing his hand to the top of her head as she leaned into his chest.

The Nekoshou purred as she felt Lelouch begin to pet her for the first time in what felt like forever. She rubbed her cheek into his chest and sighed in contentment. "I've missed this." She admitted softly. "I've missed you." The fifteen-year-old Devil whispered into his chest as she inhaled his scent.

Try as he might, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from enjoying what had become routine either. A soft smile stretched across his lips as he dragged his nails on the Nekoshou's scalp and neck. "I've missed this too, Shirone." He admitted quietly, enjoying the purrs she released as he slowly advanced his nails down the back of her neck before returning to her hair. "I'm sorry for hurting you." He repeated softly.

"Do you hate us?" Shirone's voice was marked with sadness as she asked her question.

Lelouch shook his head. "It's not you I hate." He whispered softly, holding Shirone close to comfort her after how he acted. "All of you have been nothing but kind to me." The problem was he didn't think he deserved it.

"How do you feel about us all?" The petite Nekoshou asked, her heart beating nervously as she waited for his answer. What she really wanted to ask was how Lelouch felt about her, but she didn't want to make him suspicious.

Lelouch chuckled as he continued to pet Shirone. "Kiba is the kind of brother I would have been proud to have, his intelligence and skill are impressive and I can tell he's a good guy. Issei, while perverted, is a good person at heart. You just need to dig down deep to see it." Lelouch paused as he snickered. "Really, really deep." Shirone giggled into his chest before groaning as his nails slowly scratched down her back. "Rias is… kind, but I think she allows her emotions to rule her a little too much. Asia honestly reminds me of Nunnally a little bit. Akeno is scary, but I can handle her." Akeno's lightning had nothing on Cornelia's resourcefulness and skills in a Knightmare. If Schneizel was the brother he always feared, Cornelia was the sister. "You, Shirone, are the one I'm probably closest to." Lelouch buried his nose into her hair and sighed. "You're the only one that I have revealed my true name to, you're the one who offered me a home when I had none, and you offered me patience and kindness when I was trying to open up about my past." Lelouch held Shirone close as he hugged her. "Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you didn't push me on that. It's… _not_ a fun thing for me to discuss."

That was an understatement.

"What about you? What do you think about yourself?" Shirone asked softly as she relished being held so close to her crush. Her tail was swaying and her ears were perked up happily while they spoke. She was happy Lelouch considered her a close friend, but she was afraid to ask for more.

Lelouch just held Shirone close as he answered. "I hate myself. I'm a monster." He whispered, Shirone tensing in his arms before she hugged him.

' _He's… not lying_.' Shirone blinked away tears as she learned what Lelouch truly thought of himself. His heart held no sign of a lie. "I won't ask you why you feel that way, I'm sure you wouldn't tell me or I suspect I already have some idea." He had killed his sister after his power had gone out of control in the past before, maybe that was why. "I just want you to know that I don't think you're a monster." She whispered, pulling back slightly so she could stare back at him. Feeling a spark of courage enter her heart, she stood up on her knees and kissed his cheek. "You're my best friend, Lelouch vi Britannia." She whispered his true name softly as she blushed, her eyes staring hopefully into his violet.

"Shirone." Lelouch murmured, staring at her blushing face. A hollow grin split his lips. "I don't deserve the kindness you have given me." He whispered, his eyes shifting to his side to avoid looking into the amber eyes that reminded him of C.C. He didn't want to be reminded of her right now.

He didn't want to be reminded of the only woman, the only _person_ , who chose to stand beside him through everything. Every crime, every tragedy, every loss.

Every betrayal.

C.C. had remained by his side even after he betrayed her and broke his promise. She had chosen to remain his confidante and his beloved accomplice even to the bitter end.

Snuggling back into his chest, feeling hot under her collar, Shirone allowed a playful grin to split her face as her tail twitched in time with her ears. "That's fifty percent your decision, the rest of that decision belongs to me." She said with a blush. "And I say you're more than worth it." The fifteen-year-old Nekoshou stared up at her friend as she remained snuggled into his chest. She stared at his lips, she really wanted to kiss him right now.

But she was still too afraid of his potential reaction. She didn't want to ruin their friendship.

A large yawn escaped Lelouch's lips as he finally began to succumb to his fatigue. "If there is nothing else you want to talk about, I would like to try and get some sleep tonight." Once again, he was feeling emotionally drained. This little three week training trip was going to send him to therapy at this rate.

"C-Can I stay with you tonight?" Shirone asked, her voice softly pleading. "I would like to sleep with you tonight." A blush flared on her face as she realized how that sounded. "I mean, actually _sleep_." She hoped Lelouch didn't get the wrong idea.

Even if it wasn't exactly _wrong_.

Lelouch was feeling too tired to argue, he just shifted until Shirone was sitting beside him and adjusted his pillows so that she could lay down on one without having to share with him. "Here," he yawned. Lelouch felt his eyelids become heavy. "Do what you want." He plopped himself down on his side and allowed the darkness that had been encroaching on his vision to consume his mind.

Shirone stared at her friend as he collapsed on his side and passed out completely, soft snores escaping his lips signaling he really was in a deep sleep. Holding her hand close to her lips, she bit her finger in contemplation. ' _No, I can't do that to him. He wouldn't do that to me_.' The Nekoshou shook the idea of kissing his sleeping lips from her mind. It would be too creepy, kissing someone in their sleep. Instead she chose to lay on her side, staring at Lelouch's peaceful face until dreams claimed her.

A small smile was on her face as she fell asleep beside her friend.

* * *

 **Lelouch has a huge guilt complex, I just want to make that clear right now.**

 **In the past it was more subdued because he thought he was atoning for his crimes merely by existing in this new world. Learning it was a mistake that brought him here pushed him over the edge and now he is trying to find a way to set himself up in a position to face judgment that he inadvertently avoided by getting dragged into another world and accidentally becoming immortal.**

 **One of his underlying creeds was "The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." and learning that he had violated one of his core beliefs so utterly really didn't help matters when it comes to his overall sanity.**

 **As it is right now, the only thing he has decided to do is to not drag Rias and her Peerage down with him once he finally comes up with a way to face the judgment he feels he deserves. Beyond that, his self-hatred will color a number of his interpersonal relationships now.**

 **Also, it has come to my attention that I have gotten the noble family rank for the Gremory Family wrong, I've been calling the head a Marquis, rather than the Duke that he is. The reason for this is I was originally going off of the anime and Rias declares herself the daughter of the** ** _Marquis_** **of Gremory when she's dramatically introducing herself to Issei and that's what I went with.**

 **Certain corrections have been made, my apologies for the error.**

 **I have a new story up, a crossover between Code Geass and Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There. I'm just playing around with that story for now, but feel free to check it out.**

 **Also, I will be studying to take the LSAT again in September so that I can try and get a better score to get into the law school I want which means that I will be busy studying and so I may not be able to update again until late September or early October. I will do my best to make it an update with multiple chapters though, that much I can promise.**

 **Please review if you enjoyed the new chapter.**

 **Happy 4** **th** **of July to my fellow Americans! Stay safe and enjoy the holiday of explosives, preferably in that order.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Final Weeks

**I know this isn't the multiple chapters I promised, but I still wanted to get everyone a chapter out in the month of October.**

 **This chapter has actually been done for some time, but I'm a little iffy on the content so I held off on posting it. Please bear with it till the end of the chapter as I do have an explanation.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I can't promise when my next update will be, but I'll do my absolute best to get it out before New Years. Until then, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Final Weeks**

* * *

Lelouch felt… _something_ against his back. As a moan sounded from behind him, he realized it'd be more accurate to call it a _pair_ of somethings. A twitch developed over his left eye before he slowly opened them. As he saw the white-haired Devil asleep across from him, a confused frown came across his face. ' _If Shirone is there, then who's behind me_?' He wondered. Arms were wrapped around his chest, and he was suddenly _very_ glad he had worn actual clothes last night instead of just his boxers. Things would have been far worse than they were already going to be if he were in his usual state of undress.

"I know you're awake." Akeno's voice whispered as she blew on his ear. "I heard your breathing change." He could hear the grin in her voice, quiet as she was.

"Why are you here?" He hissed near silently, wary of awakening the Nekoshou across from him. Her features were on full display and her breath was coming out in steady, near silent snores. Her face had a small smile on it and Lelouch assumed she was having a good dream.

"Well, Rias told me to come wake you up and who should I find sleeping in your bed with you but our resident cuddly kitten." Akeno would have surely giggled if it wouldn't have awakened said "cuddly kitten". "I couldn't resist joining in and making it a threesome." Then, oddly, she turned serious. "Koneko must trust you a lot to be willing to stay the night and reveal herself like this." She whispered fondly, for once not teasing him. "Have you made a woman out of her yet?" And there was the extra teasing he had been expecting. Her words and breathy voice left no doubt as to what she was referring to.

"Move." He ordered quietly, shifting to force Akeno's arm to let him go. He rose on his bed and turned to stare at the Devil laying on her side sensually as she stared up at him. He pointed at the door with a glare, eliciting a pout from the Queen before she acquiesced, slinking towards the door with a sway in her hips. It was hypnotic, but Lelouch shook himself out of it quickly enough to take one last look at the sleeping Nekoshou and decided to leave so he wouldn't wake her. He stood up carefully from his bed, kicking the blanket off of him, but leaving it on the white-haired Devil, before he left his room.

Akeno watched Lelouch close the door behind him quietly, not even a click sounding, before she snickered. "I'm a little jealous." She admitted once the pair of Knight and Queen began walking down the hall. "I hadn't thought Koneko made her move already." This confused Lelouch.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lelouch blinked, looking confusedly at Akeno. He tilted his head to stare at her. "What are you saying?"

Akeno blinked in surprise before an unsettling grin came across her face. "Nevermind, it's good to know you're still single." If he didn't know how Koneko felt then she wasn't going to tell him. For a genius, he didn't seem to get it. Which just made things better for her. She giggled as Lelouch looked at her like she was crazy. "You've been a naughty boy lately." She brought up, her voice teasing but her words serious as she changed the subject and caused Lelouch to twitch at her words before looking at the floor. "Being so cold to Rias and I, worrying your friends, and scarring poor Issei and Asia. You need to be punished." She giggled as she licked her lips.

' _That's kind of what I was going for_.' Lelouch snickered internally. "What exactly do you have planned?" He asked, feeling mildly nervous at the _look_ in Akeno's eye.

"Rias told me a little bit about yesterday, not the content just that you had finally come around after your spar with her." She said, clarifying when a dark look flashed in Lelouch's eye for a moment. "But I felt you may need a little extra punishment." Akeno felt herself tingle at the innocent look of confusion on Lelouch's face. "I lied when Rias said she wanted me to wake you up, she's still asleep. You're going to be spending the entire day. All. Alone. With. Me." She whispered teasingly as they walked outside, where she had been leading him the entire time they were in the hall.

' _Oh fuck_.' Lelouch blinked the spots out of his eyes as the sun burned and swore he saw literal Devil horns appear on Akeno's head holding up some kind of fake halo. "Just know, that any pain you inflict on me I will return a thousand-fold." He deadpanned as he felt one of Akeno's binding spells trap his arms behind his back, leaving his legs free. His magic was bound and all he would be able to do was run. ' _Speed training then, mixed with Akeno's sadism_ …' "I'm going to die." Immortality be damned, he felt like he might actually die within the next twenty-four hours now. Akeno's giggle was absolutely _giddy_ and a sadistic light shined in her eye.

"Promises, promises." Akeno teased with a twisted grin as a damn _bullwhip_ appeared in her hands as her wings burst from her back. "You won't die, but you will be calling me _Mistress_ by the end of today." Lelouch gave her a look.

Lelouch felt his eyes become half-lidded as he stared at Akeno, subtly shifting his feet so he could make a break quickly. "It'll be a cold day in Hell before I say something like that." With a giggle Akeno informed him of a little bit of Underworld trivia.

"Hell has seasons now you know." She teased, _cracking_ the air with her whip. With a flash her clothing transformed into a decidedly _leathery_ material that gave her the appearance of a professional dominatrix.

"Good to know, still not gonna happen." With that, Lelouch spun on his heels with his arms bound to his back and sprinted as fast as he could into the forest. Akeno would have a harder time flying around the branches and, despite the Queen Piece conferring greater speed than the Knight Piece, greater strength than the Rook Piece, and greater magical power than the Bishop Piece, he knew she wasn't as fast as he and Kiba were because she preferred to focus on increasing her magical power. The branches would give him cover while he fled underneath as she flew above and his speed plus head start would give him an advantage.

Hopefully.

"Oh, you naughty boy!" Akeno's voice was giddy as she shouted behind him. "Your punishment has just doubled!" She took off just as he reached the edge of the forest and charged up a spell in the hand that didn't hold her whip. With a twisted giggle, the sadistic Queen sent a blast of lightning toward the forest edge and blew a number of trees to smithereens.

Lelouch found his earlier hopes dashed in an instant as he found himself outrunning exploding trees while Akeno cracked her whip in the sky and laughed maniacally.

* * *

' _This was not the kind of punishment I had in mind_.' Lelouch thought exasperatedly as he did his best to flee from Akeno, hiding in a tree near where the hot springs were located. His back was to the springs as he rested his back against the tree trunk. He had managed to avoid her all day, though his lungs felt like they were going to burst and his heart hadn't stopped pounding against his ribcage since the sun had risen at least half a day ago.

There was one, exactly one, bright side to his suffering. His speed and stamina had increased _greatly_ as he fled for his safety. The next time he boosted himself with his magical power, he'd probably be faster than lightning, which would be nice considering Akeno's preferred skillset.

"Why are you out here, Lady Rias?" Koneko's soft voice made Lelouch twitch as he remembered he was _sitting right outside the hot spring_. He was essentially trapped if Koneko had decided to take a bath, and considering he heard her step into the water just now, he didn't like his odds. And, even better, apparently Rias was there with her too, as the redheaded President replied to her Rook's question.

"I came out here to think, Akeno's training Lelouch right now so I can't bounce any of my ideas off of them for the moment." Rias' voice sounded amused as she thought of his training. "I haven't heard anything explode in a while so I think Akeno's starting to wind it down for tonight." Lelouch twitched at the last word.

He had been fleeing Akeno's lightning and whip since _dawn_. The way Rias said it made it sound like Akeno had only started training him in the afternoon or evening. If he had really wanted to, he could have broken out of her bonds that had tied his hands behind his back and sealed off his magic almost immediately, but he knew she would simply find a worse way to "punish" him if he didn't suffer through it now. And that was the only reason he was dealing with this insane speed training session he had been suffering under all day.

To avoid what would almost certainly be something worse.

Lelouch hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day as he had ended up missing dinner and hadn't been able to hide from Akeno long enough to sneak into the kitchen to swipe some food or something.

"What are you thinking about?" Koneko's voice was quiet as she waded through the water, presumably to sit next to Rias.

Rias remained silent for a few minutes before she answered, and while she was doing that Lelouch was focusing intensely on making sure his breathing remained as quiet as possible. He wasn't moving a muscle, but his ears did twitch as he heard his name mentioned by Rias.

"I was thinking about Issei, Lelouch, and Asia." Rias sighed quietly, the water shifting around her with a quiet splash. "Issei's Boosted Gear is incredible, but his magical power is so low that it takes a number of boosts to make him a strong fighter. Lelouch is very gifted magically, but he is hampered by the Knight Piece's small pool of magical energy. Asia is an amazing healer, she's even better than Akeno and myself, and her control over her magical energy is unmatched by all of us, but she's also the most vulnerable member of our family since she has no ability to attack someone." The water splashed again. "Issei's perverseness, while adorable." Koneko snorted in disagreement, but Rias continued on. "Is something that distracts him quite often and I worry sometimes that it gets out of hand."

"That's an understatement." Koneko deadpanned, with Lelouch nodding in silent agreement.

Rias giggled. "Yes, well, at least I know what kind of rewards to offer him so that his training isn't hampered by his perversion. And at least I know he's a good guy, it doesn't hurt he's cute too." Rias spoiled Issei far too much in Lelouch's opinion, but it was interesting to get a little insight into what she thought of everyone.

It was interesting, getting a candid assessment like this completely by accident.

"What else are you thinking about?" Koneko asked, her tone curious. Lelouch had no doubt that her ears would be twitching if they were visible.

"Well, I was just thinking about, well." Rias paused before whispering quietly. "Gasper." Koneko's sharp gasp made Lelouch curious so he closed his eyes and listened more intently than he had before. "I visited him the day before Riser appeared, he's really enjoying his new gaming console, but he still doesn't want to come out of his room." Rias sighed sadly. "He's still too scared of people thinking he's a monster or just being around others in general."

So, Gasper must be Rias' other Bishop. Or so Lelouch gathered.

"Gaspie isn't a monster." Koneko spoke up, her tone vehemently denying such an accusation.

"I know, but it's kind of like telling Lelouch the same thing." Lelouch twitched at the accusation. "He just doesn't believe anyone when they tell him that." Well, maybe Rias had a point. "I was thinking about going to visit him tomorrow and ask if he would be willing to help in the Rating Game, but I don't want to push him too hard. His agoraphobia has lessened since he began playing those online games with people instead of just using his computer to complete Pacts and I don't want to make him relapse."

Lelouch breathed a quiet sigh. Agoraphobia, that was a nasty one. A fear that could cripple people if they left their homes depending on how severe it was, every kind of social interaction with others into an exhausting experience the sufferer would try to avoid by any means necessary. It was probably a miracle that this "Gasper" allowed Rias to speak with him at all, to have him actually voluntarily contacting people, even if it was only online, was a major accomplishment on her part.

"Gasper could really help us, especially since I'm afraid that the next two weeks might not be enough to get us ready to beat Riser's full Peerage." Rias admitted quietly, her fear understood by Lelouch.

The odds did not look good for her, he could understand why she was afraid. But, if she would accept his help, he would do his best to develop a strategy that would deliver her to victory.

"Found you!" Akeno's voice shouted right by his ear, having snuck up on him as he was distracted by the conversation. "And peeking in the hot springs? You naughty boy!"

"Akeno, fuck!" Lelouch jumped and slipped off the branch, the last thing he remembered was seeing the ground and thinking, ' _I am going to get her back for this_.' Before his head crashed on the stone tiles of the hot spring floor and he was knocked out cleanly.

* * *

The next thing Lelouch could feel was a pulsing headache as he lay on what had to be the softest cloud in existence. "Fuck." He drew out the word for some time before he took a deep breath and tried to remember what happened.

"Oh, good you're up." Akeno said by his bedside. "Sorry about making you fall out of that tree, I just meant to surprise you, not crack your head open." Blearily, Lelouch opened his eyes and shifted to stare to the left. All he could see was a dark blur before he blinked a few times and Akeno's shape slowly formed.

Like some kind of twisted Rorschach test.

"I'm going to kick your pretty little ass all over the fields." Lelouch swore, still mildly concussed. Or at least he told himself it was mild.

"Oh, you think my ass is pretty then?" Akeno teased the concussed Knight with a grin. She had changed out of her dominatrix outfit and into a nurse's outfit Lelouch was positive fit no hospital regulations. "Nice to know you don't just like me for my electric personality." A lightning bolt flickered between two of her fingers at that.

"No, just no." Lelouch deadpanned, his eyes half-lidded. "That pun was terrible." He tried to sit up before he noticed the world spinning in the wrong direction. It wasn't supposed to spin up and down at the same time, right? The odd spinning and the weight on his shoulder preventing him from moving his right arm both kept him trapped in bed. "Huh?" Lelouch choked down the bile that sprung up in his mouth as the world spun and saw the ears of his favorite Nekoshou twitching as she slept on him. "What the fucking hell happened?" Lelouch blinked as he tried to reorient his swirling vision. Just how concussed was he?

"Well," Akeno drew the word out far longer than necessary as she looked away contritely. "I may have gone a little overboard with your training today, I forgot you hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and I'm pretty sure that's why your reflexes were so dull when you fell out of that tree." That, and she had forgotten to release him from her binding spell so he could use his wings to avoid crashing as he was unable to do both quick enough on his own, but that was neither here nor there. "I'm sorry about that." While she had meant to tease him about his hiding place, it had been a good one until it was the last place she had to look, she didn't mean to hurt him like that.

"You were _hunting_ me since _dawn_ , I'm pretty sure that qualifies as overboard regardless of the last time I ate." Lelouch snarked, feeling woozy and a little snippy right now. "How long have I been out?" He asked, slowly moving his right arm to begin petting Koneko on her head. Her purring was soothing to his ears as he listened for Akeno's reply.

"Only a few hours, Asia had a little trouble healing you, but it wasn't too difficult." Akeno's answer satisfied Lelouch, for now. He would have to thank Asia and apologize for his actions towards her during their spar soon, but for now he was too awake to sleep.

When Akeno stood up to leave him and Koneko be, he spoke up. "I'm too awake to really fall asleep and I don't think waking up Koneko would be the best idea right now, would you please stay and talk with me?" Lelouch asked politely. Koneko had been in the hot spring when he fell out of the tree and he would like to have a second witness around to prove he hadn't been spying on them like Issei if she woke up.

Akeno turned and returned to her seat with a grin. "What would you like to talk about?" She asked, eager to speak with Lelouch when he was technically alone. Even if Koneko was currently sleeping on him, she was in a very deep sleep right now so this could be Akeno's chance to set things up so she could spend time with Lelouch alone. Perhaps even arrange a date.

"I'm not sure." Lelouch was just trying to fend off boredom for the moment until the sun rose and training would begin again. Or he felt tired enough to sleep, whichever came first. "Well, why don't you tell me how you met Rias? You've clearly been good friends for a long time." He was curious to get to know the dark-haired sadistic Devil who tortured him and then decided to watch over him to make sure he was okay. She was an odd one.

Akeno frowned, but decided to answer. "I was running away from my family after my mother was killed." Her answer drew a sharp breath from Lelouch and so she gave him a hollow grin. "Yeah, I was only a child, but the ones who killed my mother wanted to kill me too and my father was nowhere to be found." She growled when she remembered how her father had abandoned them, even hearing the name Baraqiel in the academic session had pissed her off. "It was Rias who ended up saving my life and turning me into her Queen." Akeno puffed up her chest with pride, and to tempt Lelouch to look. When his eyes remained on hers rather than going to her bouncing breasts, she felt a mix of happiness and irritation. "We've been close friends ever since." And that was the abridged version of her little history. "I would like to hear more about your life though, you have shared so much and so little at the same time. What was your life like before Rias brought you back as one of her Knights?" Akeno was curious since she didn't really know Lelouch had even really existed beyond the abstract knowledge of him being Kiba's equal in popularity.

In fact, the first time she really remembered seeing him was when Koneko ended up spending her entire lunch periods with him for the sweets he would give her.

Lelouch continued his ministrations of Koneko's hair, her steady purring helping him maintain his composure after he learned Akeno's mother had been killed when she was a child. Much like how he had believed his own mother had been. ' _Here's hoping Akeno's mother isn't a monster like mine_.' Lelouch thought sardonically before deciding to answer Akeno's question. "I ended up enrolling in Kuoh around the end of last semester, I tested into the classes as they were wrapping up so they let me enroll early. Beyond that, I lived alone since I had no parents." Lelouch internally snickered as he recalled his father's face before vanishing in the World of C.

It had been so pathetically amusing, watching the Emperor's plans come crashing down on him like that. Quite literally in fact.

"I lived life from day to day, no real purpose driving me forward. The only reason I didn't commit suicide is I didn't see the point." Lelouch admitted rather candidly. "I ended up meeting Kiba in the library one day after escaping from a small horde of girls who were stalking me and we bonded over the desire for privacy and the distinct lack of it we had in the Academy." He still maintained Kiba had it worse since he encouraged them rather than being cold. "During one particular class I ended having to make a cake with a group and I kicked them out because they weren't following my instructions." Lelouch had been rather brutal as he waved the wooden spoon at them until they left and let him work in peace. "That little incident is how I ended up meeting Koneko since the cake I baked alone got the highest marks in the class. She pestered me for _weeks_ before I gave in and just started giving her sweets every day at lunch, even though she had only been in the middle school section of Kuoh at the time. And at the start of this semester I was killed by a Fallen and you know the rest." Lelouch shrugged at the mention of his death, not caring about it anymore.

"Do you hate Fallen Angels, for killing you?" Akeno asked, her heart beating nervously as she hoped that wasn't the case. Issei, during some of the academic lessons, had been rather vocal in his disgust for Fallen Angels and she wondered if Lelouch felt the same way.

"I hate that _particular_ Fallen Angel, but since I killed her it's kind of moot at this point anyway." Lelouch said with a snicker, missing Akeno's eyes shining with relief and happiness. "If I got mad just because that Fallen ended up doing to me what someone else was likely going to do, well," Lelouch shrugged, cutting himself off from that line of thought. "It seems pointless to hold that kind of grudge especially since I got my vengeance." He could understand why Issei hated all Fallen Angels after what Raynare did to him, it was much like how he hated all of Britannia after his father's invasion.

Guilt by association and all that.

"I see." Akeno was happy that Lelouch didn't hate all Fallen Angels. "What did you mean, what someone else was likely going to do? Did you think someone was going to kill you?" Akeno frowned at that thought, wondering why Lelouch would have thought his life was at risk.

"Ah, well." Lelouch paused, trying to articulate what he had been thinking. The pounding headache from his concussion made it difficult, but he found a way. "I probably would have ended up pissing someone off at some point in my life and found myself shot in a dark alley or something." Maybe that wasn't the best explanation, but it seemed Akeno bought it as she giggled.

"You can be abrasive sometimes." Akeno admitted with a giggle. "But, then again, that's why I like you so much." She admitted, blushing slightly as she watched Lelouch's eyes widen.

"What?" He had to have misheard, there's no way Akeno said what he thought she said. "What did you say?" He repeated, his headache worsening.

"I said, I like you. Prickly personality and all." Akeno smiled genuinely as she looked at Lelouch without sadistic intent. "I don't know if I love you, but I definitely like you." Closing her eyes, she snickered. "And it's not just cause you're quite good looking. I think you're an interesting guy and I would really like to go out with you to see where everything ends up." Akeno didn't love him, she was attracted to the sadism she could see inside of him and his Wrath, his looks weren't half bad either to say the least, and she felt that he really could use someone in his life to give him some love.

She hoped to be that someone.

"Akeno…" Lelouch paused, his right hand shifting to the side as he stopped petting Koneko and tried to wrap his head around Akeno's confession. He had gotten quite a few so-called "confessions" in the past, when he had failed to escape the situation at least, but he had never gotten a genuine one from someone he knew and cared about. He opened his mouth to reply, but Akeno shushed him with one finger over his lips.

"You don't have to answer right now." Akeno said with a soft smile. "You have a concussion, but I would like to know if you'll accept my offer by the end of the last week." Akeno felt her heart flutter as Lelouch nodded, his eyes beginning to droop tiredly. "I hope you feel better soon, I'll leave you and your cuddly kitten to get some rest." With that, Akeno turned on her heel, adding a bit of sway to her hips, and left the Knight and Rook alone to go to sleep.

While she hadn't expected being able to get her feelings out to Lelouch so soon, she took the chance she saw available. While her answer would likely take up until the time limit, she could be patient.

Akeno just hoped it was the answer she wanted.

* * *

Lelouch knew the morning was going to be awkward when he woke up with his arms pinned to his side and Koneko's glare boring holes into his skull.

A magic circle appeared next to her head. "He's awake now, Lady Rias." Was all she said and the circle vanished before another, much larger one, appeared at the foot of his bed to reveal Rias dressed in a robe with a towel in her hair and a brush in her hand. She had gotten out of the shower or hot springs recently, Lelouch deduced, though he wasn't willing to bet shower considering how much he knew she loved the hot springs.

' _Ah, shit_.' That's why these two were in his room right now. "I will swear on whatever you want me to that I wasn't spying on you in the hot springs. Either of you." Lelouch deadpanned, hoping that would be enough. When Koneko's grip got tighter, he assumed that wasn't the case.

Rias had a stern look on her face as she responded to his statement. "I want you to swear on what you hold most dear to you that you were not deliberately spying on us while we were bathing in the hot spring."

Lelouch gulped before he replied. ' _What I hold most dear huh._ ' "I swear on the grave of my little sister Euphie and my memories of her as well as Nunnally's life that I did not see either of you bathing in the hot spring nor did I intend to. I was just trying to escape and hide from Akeno so I could recover and hopefully stay hidden until she got sick of training me. The only thing I heard was your conversation." Rias maintained her stern look before her lips twitched and she giggled.

"I know, Akeno told me that you were hiding from her before she scared you." Rias accepted Lelouch's words as the extra confirmation she desired and signaled to Koneko that she could let him go. As the Knight and Rook sat up before Rias, she frowned a little. Rias hadn't been concerned about her privacy, but Koneko had been pissed when she thought that her privacy was invaded by Lelouch. Akeno had been rather concerned after the stone cracked from Lelouch's impact and hurried to explain everything before Rias called for Asia to heal him. Thankfully, it appeared Akeno hadn't been wrong. She would have hated for Lelouch to have ruined the friendship she could see he had with Koneko. "How much of the conversation between Koneko and I do you remember?" Rias asked to see if he had any questions, Lelouch's eyes closing as he sighed in relief.

Lelouch closed his eyes with a breath. It was painful, but he could recall a few things. "I heard everything starting from your rather honest assessments of Issei, Asia, and I." He admitted as he sat up next to Koneko, whose glare had lessened at his earlier answer. She was still annoyed with him though, or at least he assumed as much considering she was currently refusing to look him in the eye as she stared angrily at the wall. Her arms were crossed as she sat by his side, rather than in his lap like she normally did, so he took that as a sign he'd need to get some more sweets to bribe her later.

"So you heard everything then." Rias hoped Lelouch wasn't too upset with her characterizations. "Do you have anything you want to ask?" If he had heard the start of the conversation then he had also learned about her other Bishop during his eavesdropping.

"Are you willing to tell me a little more about Gasper?" Lelouch asked, curious to meet the Bishop Rias had kept hidden at said Bishop's request. He thought it would be interesting to meet the last of Rias' Peerage.

Rias thought about it before she shook her head. "Perhaps it would be better to show you rather than tell you. Get dressed, I'll take you to visit Gasper with me in a few minutes." Rias summoned another magic circle and teleported back to her room so she could finish cleaning up. It was early in the morning, but hopefully Gasper would be calmer since it was early. She hoped that would help prevent things from becoming too much for the poor boy.

When Rias vanished, Lelouch looked at Koneko, whose ears and tail had been freed from her concealment spell. They were still twitching in irritation, but Lelouch decided to try and smooth things over. "Shirone…" He paused, wondering why she was still upset with him. "You know I was telling the truth, right?" Lelouch asked, blinking in confusion when the teenaged Nekoshou turned around and glared at him with red cheeks as she pouted.

Shirone stared at Lelouch. She was upset and her face was flushed, but she still couldn't get her stupid heart under control. Just staring at him made it beat faster than usual. "I know." She mumbled through a pout. "It's just…" The fifteen-year-old paused before she sighed, standing from her position on her friend's bed. "Nevermind." As the Nekoshou turned to leave, the Knight grabbed her hand to prevent her.

"You're acting rather odd, you know." Lelouch stated the obvious. "What's wrong?" He wanted to help his friend, but if he didn't know what was bothering her he couldn't exactly help her.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Shirone refused to turn around, pulling her hand from Lelouch's grasp. She was feeling really conflicted about last night. On one hand, the thought of someone invading her privacy really, _really_ pissed her off. On the other hand, the thought of _Lelouch_ spying on her and seeing her naked got her really, _really_ excited. Her heart just kept beating harder at the thought and she got lightheaded as she wondered what he would have liked to see from her. "I wanna see Gaspie so I'll be coming with you and Lady Rias, but I'll leave so you can change." With that, the Nekoshou concealed her features and left the room.

Maybe playing some video games with the Dhampir would improve her mood.

A little while later, Lelouch found himself staring at the floor as he finished tying his shoes. He had changed into a loose fitting t-shirt that was black in color, though the cut was lower than usual which revealed part of his collarbone, as well as a pair of black jeans, choosing to forgo the belt this time as this pair felt a little tight. He rested his arms on his knees as he stared at the floor contemplatively, wondering just what he should do about his situations. The Nekoshou he had befriended was acting oddly and Akeno had essentially asked him out, though he didn't have to give a reply until the end of the final week of training.

' _What to do…_ ' He thought silently before a knock sounded at his door. "Come in." He signaled, sighing when he saw it was Rias and Koneko. Rias was dressed in her school uniform, he had a feeling that was her preferred outfit even if she wasn't in school, and Koneko was wearing a white t-shirt with some kind of game character on it and a pair of light blue short shorts. Her black hairpins were holding back her long bangs as usual.

"Ready to go?" Rias asked, and when Lelouch nodded she went to the center of the room and prepared the circle. "Step in and we'll head back to the school where Gasper is." Looking at Lelouch as he stepped inside, she hoped that this meeting would be a productive one.

* * *

In a flash of magical power, the President, Rook, and Knight all arrived in one of the old hallways of the old school building where the ORC usually met. Looking around, Lelouch didn't recognize his surroundings. "I know we're in the old school building, but where exactly are we?" The Knight asked curiously, observing some of the signs of age he could see on the walls. This place looked like it was in need of some serious renovation.

"We're below ground, actually." Rias admitted as she began walking towards Gasper's room. "Gasper prefers to be underground and away from the sunlight." It wasn't long before they reached the room, a magic circle carved into the wood so that anyone who found the door that wasn't a member of her or Sona's Peerage or families would forget it existed and ensured that access was restricted solely to her and those Gasper was willing to accept with her. Carefully, Rias approached the door and knocked. "Gasper, it's Rias." She spoke softly, far softer than Lelouch had ever heard her speak before. "I've brought Koneko and another friend, would it be okay if we came in?" She asked politely.

Things were silent for almost a full minute before Lelouch heard a small voice respond from behind the door. "Who e-else is w-with you?" The voice stammered, and Lelouch almost thought it was a girl's voice before he remembered Gasper was a boy. "Are they nice?" Lelouch blinked at the odd choice of question.

It had been a long time since he considered himself to be _nice_ , but if it would ease the young boy then he could rein in the darker aspects of his personality. Placing his hand on Rias' shoulder, Lelouch pushed her to the side gently. "My name is Lelouch, I promise I won't hurt you." Lelouch introduced himself kindly to the young boy who was hiding. "I would like to meet you, if that's okay." It took almost two full minutes before the trio heard a reply.

"I-If Lady Rias says it's okay…" The young voice drifted off and Rias stepped up to the door to open it. The door creaked as its old hinges got a little work and Lelouch found himself staring at a room that had quite a few contrasts.

The room was bathed in darkness, not a single artificial light to be seen since the computer and television off to the side were turned off. The walls were covered in pink paint and the carpet was the same color, the room looked just like a young girl's room in its color scheme. Even the canopy over the bed was the kind that would be found in a fantasy princess themed room and the bed having so many pillows thrown about on it Lelouch couldn't keep track didn't help dissuade an ordinary individual from thinking that. The only thing that detracted from the princess theme was the coffin that was set in the middle of the bed, it was almost as dark as the night itself. Oddly enough, there was a decorative cross, though upside down, on the cover as it was pulled shut. "P-Please sh-shut the d-door." A trembling voice asked from inside the coffin.

As the hinges creaked when Rias shut the door, Lelouch sat himself down at the foot of the bed. He didn't want to rush the poor boy. After a minute or two, it became clear whoever was in the coffin was unwilling to speak or come out anytime soon, so Koneko hopped on the bed and forcibly opened the dark coffin, her dry voice rousing the young boy within. "Rise and shine Gaspie." A small smile was on her face as she reached and pulled out… a young girl?

The figure wearing Kuoh Academy's uniform for girls started to bawl their eyes out as they were pulled out by Koneko by the scruff of their neck. "No!" The figure bawled. "Koneko, put me down!" Gasper's eyes had tears streaming out of them a he stared at Koneko's mischievous grin.

"Not now Gaspie, we're gonna play." Koneko's words had a sobering effect, to some degree, on Gasper.

"P-Play?" Gasper stammered out, his tears slowly subsiding as he stared up at Koneko's cat-like grin. "P-Play what?" The Bishop stammered suspiciously.

"Meet and greet." Koneko deadpanned as she slowly dragged the crossdressing Bishop over to the foot of his bed. Completely ignoring the blubbering he let out as he tried to scramble out of her grip. After much protestation, Gasper was plopped down at the foot of his bed where Lelouch was sitting about a foot away from him. Koneko sat the Dhampir down and wrapped an arm around his shoulders before she gestured widely with the other one. "Gaspie, meet Lelouch. Lelouch, this is Gaspie." Her mischievous grin grew. "Gaspie's a boy, but he likes to play dress up." Koneko pulled at his cheek teasingly. "Isn't that right, Gaspie?"

The response from the Bishop was muffled as his face was stretched out by the Nekoshou next to him, but Lelouch got the gist of it. "It's nice to meet you Gasper." Lelouch carefully held out a hand for the young boy to take before something odd happened. He blinked as he felt a sudden _shift_ before he realized he wasn't reaching his hand out for Gasper to shake anymore.

' _R-Rolo_.' Lelouch felt his heart skip a beat and gasped sharply. "W-What happened?" He stammered quietly. Did… did what he think just happen actually happen?

"Gasper, please down from there." Rias asked softly as she stared at the top of the canopy over Gasper's bed. Lelouch and Koneko looked up at Rias' words and saw the Bishop clutching the hook in the ceiling that connected the canopy that held his drapes over his bed.

"I don't wanna!" Gasper whined plaintively as he stared down at the trio. "New people scare me!" Gasper began to cry again. "I know I've been working really hard, but it's so different meeting someone new when I can see their face." Tears fell onto Gasper's coffin as his crying began to worsen. "It's nothing like meeting someone online." Gasper's form shook as he cried, almost losing his balance.

Koneko allowed her wings to manifest as she flew up to pat Gasper on his shoulder. "Why don't we play some of the new games Rias got you last week?" Koneko offered, her olive branch tentatively extended to try and comfort the scared Dhampir. "You can tell me how you've been while we play." Gasper's tears didn't stop entirely, but they did lessen as he slowly took Koneko's extended hand. Forming his own wings, the pair slowly flew back down to the ground and Koneko led Gasper over to where a somewhat large television was laid out surrounded by a number of different video game consoles Lelouch didn't recognize. "What would you like to play first?" Koneko offered to let the young boy choose their game.

While the Rook and Bishop paired off and began to play, Lelouch rose from his position on the floor, his hands trembling. "What… What happened?" He whispered as he sensed Rias step up behind him. That… _shift_. It felt almost exactly like when Rolo used his Geass.

"Forbidden Balor View, a Sacred Gear that stops time within the wielder's line of sight." Rias answered softly as she watched Koneko start up the television so she and Gasper could begin playing. "And that's not all, Gasper's also a Dhampir. He's half-vampire and as a result has been despised by both his vampire relatives and human relatives to such a degree that he's terrified of meeting new people because he thinks they'll think he's a monster." Rias didn't normally like to share her friends' stories without their consent, but she knew Gasper wouldn't share his past on his own. "I ran into him outside of a small town in Transylvania after I snuck my way onto one of my brother's diplomatic missions." She had gotten in a lot of trouble for that, but she felt it was worth it. "I found him wandering the countryside all alone and saved his life." Here, she let out a small smile. "Before he met Koneko, the only one he would have a conversation with was me or my brother. She helped bring him out of his shell, though her methods are a little unorthodox."

As Koneko flipped up Gasper's skirt to distract him and gain the upper hand in their game, Lelouch had to agree. "Unorthodox seems to be putting it lightly." He deadpanned as Gasper squealed just like a girl as he blushed before he forced his skirt back down. Rias seemed to have a talent for finding Peerage members with difficult or dark pasts. Lelouch found himself mildly amused as he watched Gasper argue with Koneko about cheating before she flipped the boy's skirt again. "He's acting almost… normal." Lelouch observed, a wry grin on his face.

"Unfortunately, Gasper's agoraphobia prevents him from leaving this room comfortably." Rias shared as she and Lelouch watched the Bishop and Rook continue to play. A proud smile graced her face as she watched Gasper refuse to surrender without a fight, pulling Koneko's hair to return the favor and distract her, though his skirt got flipped again and he backed down quickly. "Gasper's made so much progress, but the instant he leaves the room his fear prevents him from doing anything aside from desperately trying to get back inside."

Lelouch stared at the young Dhampir as he played with the Nekoshou, the excitement on the boy's face visible while Koneko's enjoyment was signaled solely by the small smirk on her lips as she stared determinedly at the screen. "Gasper mentioned seeing people's faces." Lelouch started, an idea slowly forming in his mind. "Does he have the same reaction when other people see his face if even if he doesn't see theirs?" He asked curiously.

"What are you getting at?" Rias asked, staring at Lelouch as she could practically see the gears turning in his mind. "I don't think we could get everyone to wear a mask around Gasper, that's just not possible." Besides, all anyone from Riser's Peerage would have to do is take their mask off and the terrified Bishop would freeze again.

Lelouch put up two fingers and twisted his wrist. "Flip it, and you'll see what I was thinking." Seeing Rias take a sharp breath out of the corner of his eye, he smirked. "It's not a perfect cure, and it may not even help him beyond a simple placebo, but if Gasper wore a mask maybe he could go outside without feeling so overwhelmed by the world around him." Lelouch scratched the side of his head as he considered what would work for Gasper's needs.

"I once thought of something like that, but I didn't want to push Gasper." Rias admitted softly. She had thought of giving Gasper something like that, but she had been scared of pushing him too fast and decided against it.

"Well, maybe it's time to bring it up to him." Lelouch gave a soft smile as he watched Gasper's HP bar deplete to zero and snickered at Koneko as she threw her fist up in the air, her face flat save for a smirk.

"Victory is mine." She declared simply, nothing more than a satisfied smirk on her face. "Still can't beat me Gaspie." Her smirk widened at Gasper's indignant reply.

"That's cause you cheat Koneko!" Gasper defended himself, still red in the face as he clutched his skirt. "How would you like it if I flipped up your skirt to distract you?!" He glared cutely at his friend.

"I'm not wearing a skirt." Koneko riposted as she turned her head to avoid allowing Gasper to see the blush on her face at the thought of Lelouch seeing Gasper do that. "So there." She stuck out her tongue at the Dhampir who just crossed his arms and huffed in exasperation.

The shy boy just grumbled before turning to face Rias and Lelouch. His smile flickered with fear as he saw Lelouch, but focused on Rias to distract himself. "W-Would you like to play?" He offered, trying to be strong despite his fear. "It'd be nice to play against someone who doesn't cheat." He teased Koneko before he found himself trapped in a headlock. "Ow, lemme go!" Gasper whined cutely. "Koneko!"

"Sorry, video games aren't really my thing." Lelouch said, an amused smile on his face as he watched Koneko tease Gasper. She was treating him just like a little brother, it brought back memories. While his life with Rolo had been false before Ashford, the memories they had made in that year had been all too real.

"That's enough you two." Rias declared, getting Koneko to stop messing with Gasper. Though not without a pout from the Nekoshou. Rias smiled softly as she beckoned Gasper over to herself and Lelouch with a wave.

Gasper saw Rias wave him over and started to tremble slightly, but Koneko grabbed his hand. When the Dhampir looked to his friend, all he saw was a soft smile. "It's okay." She whispered to him as she led him over. "Lelouch is a good friend, I promise." The two walked over, Koneko holding on to Gasper's hand for comfort as they stood in front of the two tallest members of the Peerage.

"You're tall." Gasper said, sharing the first thing that came to mind as he stared up at Lelouch. When the Knight snickered, he couldn't help but blush and look away. "Sorry, I–" His apology was silently waved off by Lelouch as he chuckled.

"It's okay, Gasper." Lelouch couldn't help but find some amusement in that being the first thing Gasper said to him. True as it was though, Lelouch was indeed the tallest member of Rias' Peerage, including Rias herself.

"Gasper, I have a request I would like to make of you, if you're willing to hear it." Rias asked as she knelt down to look Gasper in the eye. Koneko moved off to the side while Lelouch drifted away slightly so that Gasper wouldn't feel like he was being ganged up on. "I will be having a Rating Game with a man named Riser Phenex in a little over two weeks. You remember what a Rating Game is right?" Rias asked, just to be sure. When her Bishop nodded, she continued, her soft smile remaining on her face. "It's not an official Rating Game, but it's still very important to me because if I lose I will have to marry him and I don't want to do that." She admitted that softly, not to pressure Gasper, but solely to convey the importance of what she was saying. "Lelouch and I have come up with an idea that may help you handle the outside world, would you be willing to give it a shot and help me in my Rating Game against Riser?" Rias asked softly, hoping that Gasper would say yes, but not expecting anything too much out of her fearful Bishop.

Gasper looked at the ground for a few minutes, just enjoying Rias' scent as she spoke to him. Her words rang out in his mind and he felt fear. "O-Outside?" He trembled slightly before Rias hugged him to try and help him stay under control. Still, what if the alternative was losing Rias? ' _No_!' Gasper started to hyperventilate, he couldn't bear to lose Rias. She was more like a mother than his own mother had ever been to him.

Feeling Gasper shake, Rias whispered to him softly. "You don't have to do it if you really don't want to, I promise." Rias cared too much about her Peerage to force them into situations where she knew they would be uncomfortable.

"How can you help me?" Gasper loved Rias, he didn't want her to marry someone she didn't love. But he was just _so scared_. He didn't want her to suffer, but he didn't see how he could do anything more than get in the way.

Rias pulled back and stood up, beckoning Lelouch over to her side. When she nodded at him, Lelouch looked down at the little boy in front of him, trembling in fear. Gasper was taller than Koneko but compared to her, his fear made him seem so much smaller. Deciding to make the Dhampir as comfortable as possible, Lelouch slowly sat down and shared his suggestion. "Tell me Gasper," he began. "How would you feel about wearing a mask over your face to protect yourself from everything on the outside?"

Gasper's eyes widened before they were lit by a fire of determination. "I-I don't know, but I promise I'll do my best." This could work. If people couldn't see his face then they wouldn't know who he was.

And if they didn't know who he was, then maybe they wouldn't think he was a monster.

* * *

On the Monday of the second week, Lelouch found himself in the villa's library with Mika's head resting on his lap while Ketsu hopped about on the couch next to him as he and Rias went over strategies to take on Riser the day after they had spoken with Gasper.

Lelouch, Koneko, and Rias had spent most of Sunday going through the stores around Kuoh, looking for a mask that would fit Gasper's small size and one that he would like to wear. And after that they had taken the newly masked Dhampir with them to the villa, setting up the largest unused storeroom they could find for the young boy to use as a bedroom. Introductions had happened at dinner the previous day and, aside from Issei temporarily thinking Gasper was a girl, had gone very well all things considered.

Gasper had to leave about halfway through and take the rest of his dinner in his room after it became too much for him, but it was a great start for the young Dhampir.

"Are you certain it'll be the Kuoh schoolgrounds, Rias?" Lelouch asked as he scratched his wolf Familiar's ears. Koneko wasn't around so the Night Wolf chose to rest her head in his lap and enjoy his company for the first time in some time. "What about someplace in the Underworld?" He was doing his best to ensure that Rias covered all angles that their battlefield had the potential to be.

"I'm almost one hundred percent certain." Rias shared, feeling very confident in her assessment. "Riser will know almost any area that I know in the Underworld and, unless they chose to stick everyone in a random location so that no one has the terrain advantage then I'd be stuck at a disadvantage since Riser has more experience in Rating Games overall than I do." She sighed, leaning back into the chair while Lelouch shot a glare at his raven Familiar. Rias stared up at the ceiling. "If Kuoh Academy is the battlefield though, then I have the terrain advantage while he has the experience, in theory it would make things more even."

Lelouch shot a glare at Ketsu when he commented on Rias' choice of panties after she leaned back, he didn't need to know she had chosen for a quote "delightful crimson thong" according to his perverted bird. Though he allowed a wry smile to come across his face at Rias' last comment. "The knowledge of terrain only lasts for as long as the other side has yet to completely map it out." Lelouch shared a bit of wisdom with a snort. "The instant Riser's scouts have the terrain you're back at a disadvantage since he'd still have the edge in experience. What did you say his win-loss ratio was again?" Lelouch asked for clarification as that could factor into his planning.

"8 to 2, and the two he lost were to families that Riser's family were allied to." Rias snorted. "It was basically token resistance on his part until he surrendered, it was for purely political purposes to raise their allies' standings." Manipulating the Rating Games like that was actually against the rules, but only if there was proof of an explicit agreement between the two sides.

Matches weren't supposed to be fixed in any way as there was a rather thriving business in gambling on which side would end up victorious.

"So, he's never lost a legitimate match before." Lelouch murmured, an idea slowly coming together in his mind before the door slammed open and he saw Koneko panting in the doorway. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, but narrowed into a vicious glare as she caught sight of Mika laying her head on his lap with his hand scratching the wolf behind her ears. A growl, more animal than anything else, escaped her lips as she stomped over to him. Mika's own growls matched Koneko's before the wolf yelped as Koneko took a swipe at the wolf which forced her to back off lest she lose an eye.

Mika jumped back and growled at the Nekoshou as she crawled on to Lelouch's lap. ' _Master, are you really just going to let that slide_?!' The wolf had only just discovered the magic that was Lelouch's fingers and hadn't been ready to give that up. She demanded satisfaction!

' _Calm down, Mika_.' Ketsu's own voice interjected as the raven leered at the panting Nekomata on his Master's lap. ' _Don't interfere with our dear Master getting lucky_!' Though the raven had thought human mating rituals were supposed to be private affairs? Maybe his Master and his little Nekomata friend were more open than he'd originally thought!

' _Shut up the both of you_!' Lelouch ordered as he felt Koneko begin to claw at his t-shirt to try and rip it off. Her claws were out and her fangs were present as well, her ears and tail flickered in and out of visibility. Lelouch grabbed Koneko's hand before it could go south of his belt as she began grinding herself on his thighs. "What's wro–?" The Nekoshou kissed him full on the mouth, her tongue forcing its way inside his own mouth far faster than he could close it. Her golden eyes were closed tight as she kissed him. ' _Something is seriously wrong_!' Pretending to give in, Lelouch snaked his other hand slowly up her back before he grasped hold of her hair and took control of the situation. Using his own tongue to fight back, Lelouch forced Koneko's into submission before he yanked her head back and forced her to back down, heedless of the string of saliva connecting their lips.

"Koneko, _heel_!" He ordered with as much authority as he could muster in the situation. When she stopped trying to molest the inside of his mouth with her tongue and slowly began rubbing her free hand up and down his chest, attempting to go lower before he got solid control over both her wrists, Lelouch figured that was the best he could get. He could feel his body reacting to the stimulus as she ground herself against his leg, her breath was coming out in shorter and shorter breaths as she created a wet spot on the leg of his pants. "What the hell is going on here?!" He demanded, glaring at Rias who was staring open mouthed at Koneko's rather open affections.

"I-I have no idea." Rias said, staring at Koneko as she mewled desperately trying to kiss Lelouch only for his grip on her hair to tighten, preventing her from forcing another kiss. Her hips were shaking as she rubbed herself up and down his thighs, desperate to be released so she could continue. It almost looked like Koneko was going into heat, but there would have been signs leading up to it before something like this would occur.

The sound of feet speeding along the floor caused Rias and Lelouch, who had shifted positions to force Koneko onto her stomach with her wrists held behind her back with one hand while the other kept her head down and he sat on her legs to keep her pinned, to stare at the door as Gasper gasped when he finally entered the library. "Have either of you seen– Koneko!" Gasper's question was cut off as he saw Koneko pinned to the couch as she squirmed beneath Lelouch.

Feeling Koneko begin to buck beneath him as her features became fully visible, Lelouch growled at the masked Gasper. "Shut the door dammit!" Koneko's strength as a Rook became apparent as Lelouch was bucked off the pinned Nekoshou once she slid down enough to get some leverage to force herself to her knees. Lelouch found himself tossed over the back of the couch with a grunt, his legs pressed up against the back of the couch, and he winced slightly as he hit the floor. Lelouch heard the door slam shut, but he found himself more concerned as he stared at Koneko while she gave him a hooded look as she perched her arms on the back of the couch. She was staring down at him with an excited little smile, her amber eyes glazed over in Lust. "Lelouch." She purred, literally _purred_ , his name as her ears remained perked up and her tail swayed side to side behind her.

It oddly reminded him of the times people would try to say it in Japanese only with a throatier sound to it, but that was really not important at the moment.

Gasper sucked in a deep breath as he ran over to Rias' side, adjusting his white Hannya mask, one that left his eyes free but covered everything from his nose to his chin after it became slightly lopsided, the President not knowing how to defuse this situation safely. "Lady Rias, Koneko said her tea tasted weird and then ran off with a really creepy giggle, do you have any idea what's going on?" Gasper asked, his usual stutter absent as he found himself worried for his friend's wellbeing as well as Lelouch's. Koneko was staring down at him like he was prey, and she the predator.

The masked Dhampir ignored the ears and tail, far more worried about his friend's wellbeing.

Rias turned to stare in comprehension at the situation as Gasper said something that made her remember one of the things her brother had said to never give Koneko.

"Lelouch, the effects must be just like catnip!" Lelouch heard Rias' voice as he stared deep into Koneko's eyes, watching for any sign of how she would move. "Catnip is like an aphrodisiac mixed with a drug for Nekomata like Koneko, she must be having some kind of reaction to whatever was in her tea." He hadn't moved a muscle since he hit the floor, just staring her down. But when he heard Rias' words, he frowned.

' _Ketsu, on my mark divebomb her head, Mika, scare her off, but don't you dare hurt her_.' Lelouch came up with a plan to stop this madness, but he needed his Familiar's help if he wanted to avoid hurting Koneko. "Can she think straight or is it like she's drunk?" Lelouch asked carefully, slowly moving his hands in preparation to subdue the apparently horny hellcat.

"Her capacity for thinking things through is shot to hell." Rias stated, staring worriedly at the backside of her Rook. She didn't think Koneko would have wanted to reveal herself like this. "You're taking this whole Nekomata thing rather well." Rias shifted herself to the side slightly drawing Koneko's eye in an instant.

Seeing Koneko was distracted, Lelouch brought his hand up and whistled. When his Familiars reacted as ordered, Lelouch replied to Rias' statement. "I've known she was a Nekoshou for some time, she told me a while back." He admitted, sliding out of Koneko's line of sight to try and get behind her.

At his signal, Mika began barking like there was no tomorrow and Ketsu divebombed Koneko, the talons messing up her hair as the dark bird flew around her head to distract her. Koneko hissed angrily, her ears pressing against the top of her head and she swatted at the raven, driving the bird away, but when she turned back to the floor where Lelouch had been she found he had moved.

Suddenly, the Nekoshou's nose twitched and, with a smirk, she spun around and tackled Lelouch to the floor before he could pin her down by sneaking up on her. "Lelouch." Her purring increased as she bounced on his lap eagerly, one of his arms pinned to his side by her knee while she held the other one in her grip. "You're poking me." She purred, placing the hand she had under control on her left breast. "Can you feel it? My heart's beating for you." She forced his hand to squeeze. "~Nya! That feels so good!" Koneko threw her head back as she mewled in pleasure. Grinding herself on him once again, her wetness staining his clothing, Koneko dove back in to steal another kiss.

Ignoring the feeling of his hand grasping her breast, which he absently noted as being about the size of an apple that had been cut in half, Lelouch decided desperate times called for desperate measures. ' _Sorry about this_.' He silently apologized to his friend before he flared his **Power of the King**. " **Koneko, HEEL!** " His **Command** registered in the mind of his target as it always did. Koneko froze, her lips inches away from his as the order registered in her mind, a small fight between the amount of energy he had put into the spell and the chaotic mess that was Koneko's own magical power occurred before his order took root in her mind and she stopped grinding herself against him. Carefully, Lelouch sat up and shifted himself so that rather than her breast he was holding Koneko's hand. He shifted his other hand, once her leg was no longer pressing it against his side, slowly up her back before he reached her neck. He rubbed the back of her neck in soothing circles as he brought her in for a hug. "Feeling better now?" He asked softly, her ears slowly twitching as he rested his chin on top of her head.

"I'm still hot, ~nya." Koneko mewled with a whimper, shifting herself so she could stare up at Lelouch. "Please, _touch me_ ~nya." She whimpered, her eyes watering as she desperately tried to go against his order and rub herself against him. She failed, red rings flashed in her eyes as she fought against his power. "I _need_ you so bad _Lelouch_!" She mewled as she felt Lelouch pet her head, ignoring the sad look in his eyes as he stared down at her. Pressing her own hands against her breasts, she started to fondle herself desperate to quell the heat within her body. " _Please_ , ~nya. I'll do anything!" She tried to tempt him by staring up at him with a hooded look in her eyes as she used her claws to shred her shirt to reveal what she was wearing beneath her clothes. "Just help me, ~nya." She begged desperately, preparing to tear even more off if it would help her subdue the unrelenting fire inside.

Lelouch watched the Rook tear her shirt, revealing her pink and white striped bra and grabbed her hands. As her eyes flashed with red rings, he forced her hands behind her back and kept one hand there to hold her wrists. "Rias, how long do the effects of catnip typically last?" Lelouch knew his spell wouldn't last much longer, Koneko's desperation in fighting it off was growing and her magical power was responding to her wishes. He needed to get her hidden away till the effects faded, but he also needed to make sure she didn't do something stupid while she remained under the influence.

"This may not be catnip, but the effects typically last for at least two hours." Rias shared, wondering what Lelouch had planned. She was glad to know that Koneko had trusted him enough with her identity as a Nekoshou before now, at least that was one less problem to deal with now, but she could tell Koneko wasn't done yet.

Summoning his power, Lelouch allowed a magic circle to appear beneath him. "Then I'll need you keep everyone away from Koneko's room for at least two hours then." Lelouch turned to look back at Rias, whose eyes had gone wide at his implication. "I swear, I won't have sex with her, not while she's under the influence of some kind of drug, but she clearly needs to be satisfied right now and I think, considering she came to me first, I need to be the one to do it." With that, Lelouch vanished just as his spell broke and the horny little hellcat on his lap sunk her claws into his shirt, tearing it to shreds as they teleported away from the villa library.

So much for a calm session of developing strategies to use in the Rating Game.

* * *

Five hours had passed since Lelouch and Koneko had vanished. Rias sat alone in her room, reading up on what little information she had on magical ingredients and Nekomata and Nekoshou physiology.

According to Gasper, Koneko had drunk some tea he prepared that had been from the batch Rias originally planned to use to reduce Issei's perversion in an attempt to make his training more productive before she had decided against drugging her Pawn. His perversions made him easy to motivate and that was all that mattered when she was training him.

Whatever ingredients she had included in that batch of tea that Gasper had given Koneko had resulted in the exact opposite effect for the Nekomata, sending her into a pseudo-heat cycle where she ended up hot and horny beyond all reason.

Hopefully without the risk of pregnancy that was usually associated with the Nekomata heat cycle.

Gasper had felt terrible about drugging his best friend and Rias had sent him to his room to allow him to recuperate. After that, she had thrown out all the tea she had in the villa and bought more from a store back in Kuoh so that this wouldn't happen again. Once she had gotten rid of all the potential bad batches of tea and restocked, she returned to her room to try and find out what kind of ingredients, aside from catnip, could have sparked such a reaction from Koneko in order to avoid another incident in the future.

Her research wasn't yielding any results right now, but Rias was determined to make sure that Koneko didn't go through something like this again.

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared on the floor at the foot of her bed, slightly away from the chair she was sitting in at the front of her desk. As Rias turned around in her seat, Lelouch appeared and he looked like he had seen better days.

Lelouch's back was to Rias and she could tell the Knight no longer had a shirt. There were numerous scratches on his back, of varying length and depth, and his hair was matted down with sweat as it stuck to the back of his neck. When Lelouch turned around, Rias blushed as she saw even more scratches littering Lelouch's chest, some surrounding that oddly shaped scar. Lelouch's lower face _glistened_ in the dim light of the library and when the young man tried to wipe his cheeks the juices simply spread as his fingers were similarly coated in what Rias could tell was most definitely _not_ sweat. Lelouch's pants, by some miracle, remained on, though both pant legs were shredded to the knees, showcasing Koneko's concentrated effort to _correct_ that oversight. The remains of his pants were absolutely soaked though, by a mix of sweat and juices as well as something that smelled oddly sweet, but Rias couldn't place it.

Lelouch stared at Rias with a blank look on his face. "How's Koneko doing right now?" Rias asked after Lelouch turned to her.

He responded to her with a dry tone of voice. "She's out cold and I think whatever got to her is out of her system now." The last thing he had seen was Koneko staring blankly at the ceiling with a satisfied grin on her face as her eyes glazed over with exhaustion. His eye twitched after he licked his lips, tasting the sheen on his lower face. Getting her into that state had taken every trick in his book, along with some he'd invented in a fit of genius. "I don't think I need to tell you this, but I want to make this very clear. As far as everyone else is concerned, this never happened." Lelouch narrowed his eyes at Rias who raised an eyebrow. "I don't want Koneko's reputation being dragged through the mud after this, I want this to remain between you, me, Gasper, and her."

Lelouch would have rather not had this happen, but he didn't have much of a choice. There's no way in Hell or Heaven he would have trusted Issei with this, Asia would have been completely overwhelmed by Koneko, Akeno could potentially hurt Koneko with her sadism, Kiba had been an option, but considering how Koneko had tracked him down first she didn't want the blond and there was no way he'd hand her off to someone she didn't want to be with, Gasper was out of the question for the same reason as Asia, and while Rias could have potentially helped, he thought the best thing for her to do was to keep everyone away until Koneko was worn down.

And now the best he could do for Koneko now that she had returned to normal was to make sure that no one other than the four of them knew about any of this… _incident_.

Rias nodded as she snapped the book she had in her hands shut. "I agree, thankfully Gasper told me what had happened so I was able to take measures to ensure this incident won't happen again." ' _I hope_.' Rias wasn't sure she could prevent this with complete certainty until she knew what kind of ingredient Koneko had reacted to in the first place. "This will definitely remain between us, I swear on my title as Heiress to the House of Gremory." That oath may have been a little strong, but she wanted Lelouch to know she was taking this seriously. "I do hope the both of you are still virgins after tonight?" Rias asked, worrying about the potential for pregnancy for Koneko if this truly was similar to her heat cycle.

Lelouch blinked before he carefully rubbed his right hand against his chest, scratching at one of the many, _many_ marks Koneko had left on his body. "Well, she is as far as I'm aware. I haven't been one for some time." Lelouch snickered at the shocked look on Rias' face and held up a hand to stall. "Before you ask, no. It's not anyone from Kuoh Academy nor was it just a one night stand in the city." Lelouch wasn't the type to have sex with someone he didn't have an emotional connection with, it reminded him too much of something his father would do and had done. "It was before I came to Kuoh."

"Well, I guess that explains why you managed to last five hours and make Koneko pass out." Rias said slowly, digesting Lelouch's little revelation. "Are you still with her then?" As much as she wanted to respect Lelouch's privacy, she couldn't help but be curious.

"No." Lelouch's answer was short as he frowned. "A long-distance relationship is too difficult to maintain." Especially considering he'd be measuring distance in dimensions. "Besides, we had a bit of a falling out before I arrived here." That was the least complicated way of putting it. "I take it you know what caused Koneko to react this way?" Lelouch asked curiously as he changed the subject, wondering what had turned the normal taciturn friend he knew into a horny hellcat with only sex on her mind.

Rias held up the book she had been reading. "There was something in the tea Gasper gave Koneko earlier that caused her to react as if she had smelled catnip." Rias went on to explain why this tea in particular was so special and that she had replaced all the tea in the villa as soon as Gasper had alerted her to the cause of the issue.

Lelouch rubbed slightly at his side, where Koneko had given him a particularly deep scratch during hour four. His Code was healing him, but it was slow going and the skin _itched_ like crazy. "Well, aside from my demand to keep this secret I'm afraid I'm going to have to level another one at you." Lelouch put his hands on his lower back and leaned back, a satisfying _crack_ resonating as he did so. He returned his attention to Rias, whose eyes flickered from his bulging pants back to his eyes without his awareness. "Don't ever put anything spiked, magical or otherwise, around Koneko or myself again. I don't like worrying about what's in my food and drink." Lelouch tugged slightly at one of the threads holding up his pants and sighed. "Now, I need a cold shower." Lelouch murmured the last part to himself as he summoned a magical circle and teleported away.

A cold shower was needed to remedy his not so little problem.

* * *

Three days after the Tea Incident, Lelouch found himself back in the library with Rias to continue the study session they had originally had planned.

Koneko had yet to look him in the eye since he had left her naked and passed out in her room after wearing her out, but every time she was near him her face lit up with a blush. As a result of being unable to train with her, he found himself spending more time training with Kiba, working on aerial swordplay as well as increasing his speed while in the air. Amusingly, his flying was better than his running so it was actually enjoyable for him to face off against his fellow Knight in the sky. Though the racing through the trees to work on his ability to turn in the air had been a pain in the ass.

Lelouch had clipped a tree with his wing the previous day and broken his arm badly on the landing. When Asia came by to heal him, he had taken the opportunity patch things up with the resident healer by sharing with her that he was sorry for his actions the previous week and that his disgust had been with himself, not her. Asia, perhaps because of her former status as a nun, was quick to forgive him, but Lelouch had honestly expected her to still hold some kind of grudge like Issei did before he accepted Lelouch's apology.

Said Pawn had threatened Lelouch, saying that if he had ever hurt Asia again he would pay for it.

Speaking of the perverted Pawn, Rias had done something with him on the tenth day of training. Issei's powers had more than quadrupled, that is his _base power_ had more than quadrupled. It was not a function of his Sacred Gear, it was because Rias had needed to seal off the power boost Issei had gotten from consuming all eight of her Pawn Pieces or risk having his body explode from the overwhelming power coursing through its veins. Issei was now, arguably, the strongest member of Rias' Peerage, especially once his Boosted Gear started increasing his power exponentially. Just the other day, in a spar to help Issei get used to his new power level, Lelouch had faced off against him. Sort of.

It had actually been a bit of a test proposed by Akeno. She had been working with Issei to help him get his manifestation skills up enough to the point where he could cast a spell beyond what the Pawn had begun fondly calling **Dress Break** , the spell that strips any target of its outer layers. Whether it be vegetable skins, or clothes. There was one spell that Issei had come up with and Lelouch, in part on Akeno's urging, had been somewhat eager to test Issei's spell, likely one of the strongest currently available to Rias' Peerage, aside from Rias' own bloodline, against his shield, arguably the strongest shield available in the Peerage due to Lelouch's focus on giving a concept rather than just forcing his power to take the form of a shield like most did.

It had been Issei's **Dragon Shot** versus Lelouch's **Negate** , as boosted by his **Arm of the Blackest Knight** , and the end result had been explosive to say the least.

After Issei was boosted to the maximum amount he could handle, thirteen currently, the Pawn used his spell while Lelouch cast his shield with his gauntlet active.

 **Negate** had held up for exactly ten seconds before he had been forced to dodge out of the way and cancel the shield before it drained him dry. And Issei's spell had gone on to take off the mountaintop in the distance. Not the entire mountain, just its top, but Lelouch had a feeling that, without his blocking the first ten seconds, the mountain would have vanished in a crimson explosion of epic proportions.

The only down side was that it would take Issei a minute and a half to become that powerful and, on the battlefield, that was an eternity.

Issei was currently the most powerful, but he was nowhere near the most effective. Still, Lelouch now considered the Pawn in the plans he was currently concocting with Rias.

' _I don't understand how you can have an eager female wanting you to jump her for_ five hours _and just…_ refuse!' Ketsu's incredulous voice sounded within Lelouch's head, distracting him from his planning. ' _Just what the hell are you_?!' The perverted Blood Raven didn't care if he was distracting his Master from his plans, he wanted to know _why_.

' _Who cares why, at least he didn't sleep with that damned furball_.' Mika's voice was smug as, after being left alone by Lelouch as he _took care_ of Koneko, she and Ketsu had a bet. And she had _won_. Mika whined slightly as her Master pulled her ear in warning, before letting go. She whined further when she no longer felt her head being pet, staring plaintively up at him as she rested her head in his lap.

' _First, Ketsu, it's called self-control_.' Lelouch began, staring at the three-dimensional rendering of Kuoh Academy Rias had produced on the table at his request. ' _And Mika, don't insult her. I get you don't like felines, but what Shirone and I do is our business, not yours_.' Lelouch brushed off the whining of his Familiars as he turned his attention to the map before him. "I'm assuming this will be similar to chess where both sides start around an equal distance from one another, is that correct?" He cupped his chin in thought and considered possible starting areas in relation to the old school building, as he had no doubt that's where Rias' Peerage would start.

"Yes, that is correct." Rias stared at the crimson map of the schoolgrounds she and Sona technically owned. "I'm almost certain that we will be starting in our clubhouse, and since it's the old school building I'm thinking Riser's Peerage will either be in the main school building or one of the residential halls for the college part of campus." Rias bit her thumbnail in thought as she stared at both areas.

"If I had to bet, and knowing Devil theatrics like I do, I'm willing to bet that they'd be in the new school building, it's poetic after all." Lelouch commented wryly. Rias gave him a slight glare for the theatrics comment, but motioned for him to continue. "Regardless of the case that we end up having to deal with, we should try to find the midpoint of the map for each one." Lelouch stood and moved to stand next to Rias as he stared down at the map of the school he attended.

"Why would we need that?" Rias asked curiously, having an idea but wanting Lelouch to expand further. "I mean, I already planned on finding the midpoint and then using it to advance further into enemy territory, what exactly are you thinking of doing with that knowledge?" Rias' question drew a chuckle from Lelouch.

"The midpoint is where Riser will likely go as well, which means that it's the perfect place to set a trap." Lelouch smirked, looking at Rias. "We have less Pieces available than he does, but knowing the strategic advantage he could gain from having control over the center of the battlefield he will send either his best Pieces or most of them in order to claim it." Placing his hand over the map dramatically, Lelouch clenched his fist as he grinned. "And that's when we strike."

' _Master_.' Ketsu's voice sounded serious in Lelouch's mind, prompting him to look at the Blood Raven as it landed on his shoulder. ' _I think, if you want do something like this, then it's prudent I tell you of my particular skillset_.' When Rias was about to speak, Lelouch raised his hand before he nodded at Ketsu to continue.

What he heard, well, the response it elicited from him disturbed Rias quite a bit. Lelouch's laughter when he had a black bird on his shoulder as he was bathed in crimson light really made him look like some kind of cartoony villain.

"Ah," Lelouch sighed as he got his laughter under control. "If what Ketsu tells me here is accurate." Lelouch paused as a bloodthirsty grin stretched across his face. "Well, we may be able to do _more_ than just trap the Pieces Riser sends to claim the center of the battlefield, whatever it may become." Ketsu's skills had given Lelouch a plan that, if it succeeded, could have the potential to give Rias an unparalleled advantage.

If the plan that had come together in his mind worked, it had the potential to wipe out Riser's entire Peerage save for the Phenex himself.

Rias smiled as Lelouch shared the plans he had developed so quickly, feeling a sense of pride that her Knight was such an amazing strategist. There was only one thought going through her mind at this moment.

' _I'm so glad that Familiars are allowed to participate in Rating Games_.' Rias thought to herself, feeling like she actually had a chance for victory after learning this.

* * *

On the Sunday night that marked the beginning of the third week, Lelouch found himself standing alone with Gasper in the library, going through old books on Sacred Gears to try and help the Dhampir gain better control over his own powers.

Gasper was still uncomfortable with being outside his room so he continued to wear his Hannya mask to conceal his face, but beyond that he no longer wore the Kuoh Academy uniform for girls. He had decided to where a yellow sundress instead, though Lelouch had to wonder about his taste considering his white mask looked odd with his dress.

"No, sorry Gasper." Lelouch sighed as he put another book back. "This one has no mention of Forbidden Balor View." Though it was mildly intriguing, learning about the past Red Dragon Emperors and their counterparts, the White Dragon Emperors. It seemed, compared to the power hungry psychopaths in the past, Issei's obsession with developing a Harem, capital H as insisted by the Pawn, was downright _tame_.

"I think I found something." Gasper's shy voice sounded up above, though Lelouch waited for the boy to fly down to avoid seeing up Gasper's dress. " _An Encyclopedia of Sacred Gears and their History_ , huh." Lelouch read the title after Gasper handed it to him. He pat the little Dhampir on his head. "Good find, kid."

Gasper blushed at Lelouch's praise before a vibrant grin came across his face. "Thanks." He whispered shyly. It was nice, being praised by Lelouch. He clutched the book to his chest and started to walk back to his room. "I'll do a little reading tonight and hopefully I'll find something to help out in training tomorrow." Right now, Gasper's only training was the same kind of physical conditioning Rias was torturing Lelouch and Issei with, though far tamer to account for the Dhampir's smaller form. Gasper was eager to start working on developing his Sacred Gear so he could help Rias even more.

Lelouch split off from Gasper to head to his own room, leaving the young boy with a soft smile. Gasper wasn't like Rolo, but Lelouch found himself treating Gasper just like a younger sibling nonetheless. The crossdressing habit was odd, but nothing Lelouch couldn't handle. Crossdressing was nothing compared to murder.

The Knight blinked at the sight in front of his door before he sighed. "Hello, Shirone." Lelouch whispered quietly as the Nekoshou stood outside of his door, dressed in nothing but a long t-shirt and, likely, a pair of panties.

Shirone was leaning against his door, her hands clasped behind her back as she stared at the floor before she noticed his presence. Her features remained concealed, but once Lelouch opened the door and allowed her inside, she released them. "I'm here to say I'm sorry." Shirone whispered, her voice as quiet as Lelouch had ever heard it. "I wasn't myself last week and I'm really, really sorry." Shirone's tail dragged on the floor and her ears were pressed against her head in shame. Her eyes closed as she tried to prevent tears from coming out, but she failed miserably. "I remember all of it." A luminescent blush lit up her cheeks before she continued. " _All of it_. Including how I practically forced myself on you." Here, Shirone's body language grew even more despondent as tears streaked down her face. "I know you wouldn't have done anything unless I forced it, I mean, I'm nothing special." Shirone sniffled as she tried and failed to rein in her tears. "I'm not as big as Akeno, as beautiful as Rias, or even as pretty as Asia." Shirone rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes, trying to stem the flow. "I just… I just wanted to apologize for doing what I did." Before she could say anything further, she found herself wrapped in warm hug.

"Shirone, just stop it." Lelouch murmured as he rubbed her back, making soothing circular motions while the insecure Nekoshou hiccupped into his chest. "You drank spiked tea by mistake." He sighed as he slowly directed Shirone to move with him until he was sitting on his bed, the white-haired fifteen-year-old ball of fluff and insecurities sitting on his lap as he tried to comfort her as she cried. "What happened was in no way your fault." Lelouch wrapped an arm around her waist before he forced her to look up at him by pulling her hair back with his other hand. Shirone's face was covered in red blotches, her face was covered in tears and more than a little bit of snot, her lips were shaking as she tried and failed to speak, not knowing the words she could possibly say to him right now. "And don't compare yourself to the others, they're not you." Lelouch tried to give a sympathetic smile. "While you're right that I wouldn't have done anything in ordinary circumstances, that's not because I think less of you compared to the others, it's because I know I'm not the kind of person who deserves your affections." Shirone tried to protest, but he pressed his index finger over her lips. "I don't care about your physical appearance, I _know_ you are a good, decent young woman and I _know_ that you deserve far better than someone like me. You don't need to apologize for _anything_ that happened last week."

As soon as Lelouch removed his index finger from her lips, Shirone grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Unlike the one she had first given him the previous week, this one had no tongue, just pure, unadulterated _passion_. Pulling back with a breath, Shirone glared up at Lelouch who stared down at her with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. "I like you, Lelouch vi Britannia." Shirone admitted, her red cheeks getting a little rosier as she blushed before she narrowed her eyes seriously. "I like you, _a lot_. I know you had a difficult past, I know you've suffered tragedy and loss, and _I know_ you think you're a monster, but none of that gives you the right to tell me how I'm supposed to feel about you." She poked her index finger right over his heart as she glared up at him defiantly. "I _know_ you have a heart beneath all the darkness and cynicism you have shrouded yourself with, I _know_ that deep down inside you are _hurting_ and hiding some kind of unimaginable _agony_. And I _know_ you don't think you deserve to have someone love you, but dammit _I can't help how I feel_." Shirone felt tears slip down her cheeks for the second time tonight. "I _love_ that you trusted me with your past, I _love_ that you trusted me with your name, I _love_ that you can make me laugh and can just keep me company when all I want is some peace and quiet, I love that I can just spend _time_ with you without having to do anything, I love that I feel so safe around you, I love that I can trust you with everything inside of me that I fear. _I… love… you_." Shirone panted and silently cried as she stared up at Lelouch who remained in a state of shock at her rather vehement confession. "So don't you dare tell me I can't feel that way about you."

'… _What the hell am I doing_?' Lelouch thought to himself as he looked down at the Nekoshou panting in his lap after she had gotten all of that off her chest. "Shirone…" Lelouch had no idea what to say. It had been some time since he was literally speechless. First Akeno, now Shirone, who was next. Gasper?

Shirone stood up from his lap and gave him a glare. "I love you, Lelouch vi Britannia. Please, think on just why someone who knows the most about you is willing to say that and mean it." She gave him a beseeching look. "You've told me more about yourself than anyone and I still think you're worth my heart and these feelings of mine. Please, just think about this. For me?" She whispered before she left the room.

The door clicked shut almost silently. Flopping back on his bed, Lelouch groaned as he dragged his hands over his face in exasperation. ' _Is it wrong I kind of prefer being a terrorist to having to deal with these damn_ feelings _all the time_?' Lelouch wondered to himself, remembering back when things were at least somewhat simple and the only thing he had to worry about was obliterating an entire Empire.

There was only one thing he could think to say right now.

"Feelings suck." Lelouch deadpanned to himself as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

* * *

With a crack, the boulder Lelouch punched split in two. He twisted his wrist as he shook out the pain from his knuckles before he observed his handiwork. It had been barely a second after Issei had split his own stone with a single punch, and it looked roughly the same too. Still, there was an odd sense of accomplishment he could feel springing from within himself as he beheld something he never would have been able to do as a human.

' _I guess Rias had a point_.' Lelouch thought as he summoned his teleportation circle to take him back to the villa. ' _I really have become stronger_.' It was the second to last day of training, in two days Rias and her Peerage would be fighting Riser and his own. Everyone had done their part to grow stronger or help the others grow so that, when the time came, they could kick Riser and his Peerage to the curb and help set Rias free from the contract she had been forced under by being born the Daughter of Gremory.

Asia had done her best to increase her reserves and her control so that she could heal everyone faster. She could even heal them at a distance now, keeping her out of danger. Though the closer she was, the more effective her healing would be.

Issei's power as a Pawn had grown tremendously once Rias released his full potential, though it had taken some time for him to get used to his new level of power enough to control it. Even now, his control flickered between decent and _run he's about to blow something to hell_. But overall, Lelouch was legitimately impressed with how the pervert had managed to knuckle down and actually become productive. He had even struck up an interesting friendship with Gasper, who seemed to believe that Issei was the epitome of manliness for seeking to become the Harem King, capitalization as insisted by said pervert.

Speaking of the Dhampir, the book Lelouch had helped him look for the other night in the library had been of little help. The only thing Gasper could do that he couldn't do before was stop moving objects, provided he focused enough and avoided allowing his fear to cloud his judgment and powers. But he was still a valuable asset because of his determination to help Rias.

Rias herself had spent quite a bit of time with Lelouch, developing strategies and counterstrategies. Lelouch was legitimately impressed with her creativity in some instances and had begun to feel a sense of greater respect for the young woman than he had before.

Akeno was already a monster in regards to power as far as Lelouch was concerned, but she had somehow managed to fine tune her control while she was helping Asia and now had become legitimately terrifying since she no longer expended nearly as much energy as she used to.

Koneko's attacks had only become more ferocious as training went on, but Lelouch had to wonder if it was something to do with the fact that she had been sparring with _him_ rather than any sort of change on her part.

He still had yet to give her or Akeno an answer, and, as far as he knew, neither one knew what the other had told him. Lelouch felt a shiver of fear as he realized he had one more day on Akeno's limit and he didn't think things would end very well, but he knew he would survive. The amount of pain he would be in would vary depending on the result his answer provoked.

Kiba had been the least stressful of all of his relationships to manage, Gasper was still too scared to spend more than a few hours outside of his room at any one time without returning to "recharge" and Koneko and Akeno each were waiting for him to respond to their feelings for him. The Knight had managed to refine his swordplay through his mock duels with Lelouch, though his skills hadn't needed much refinement in the first place.

Lelouch himself, well, he hadn't been idle. Discounting the training he had received from his fellow Peerage members, he had managed to develop and perfect at least a few more Void spells during his little self-study sessions in the forests. Although the areas he had trained when he couldn't sleep couldn't exactly be called _forested_ anymore, they were more like craters with forest debris than anything else.

A few hours after dinner, Lelouch found himself unable to sleep and decided to once again take to wandering the villa. But, for all that he had managed to stumble across in the past week, he finally ran into something he never expected to see. Outside, standing under the gazebo as she looked out at the night sky, was Rias. She was dressed in a rather thin nighty, something very much not meant for the autumn chill, but he doubted she cared very much about that. She was conversing with Issei, whose eyes hadn't once dropped below Rias' neckline as they had a serious discussion.

Lelouch couldn't hear it, but seeing Rias look at Issei like that made him smile sadly as he recognized the beginnings of what would probably become love. ' _I can recognize it without, but not within_.' Lelouch thought to himself, feeling bitterly amused at the realization. His heart was far too conflicted, between all of the self-loathing, the hatred, the pain, and the _sheer overwhelming guilt_ and the need to _face judgment_ for his previous crimes, to love again. He wasn't even sure he could feel love for anyone besides Nunnally anymore, and that was only because he had ingrained those feelings into his very soul.

Turning back to head to his room, Lelouch sighed quietly.

"Lelouch?" Gasper's soft voice sounded out behind the Knight. Lelouch turned and smiled at the shy Dhampir who was dressed in a nightie he thought suited Koneko more than him. "What're you doin?" The young boy yawned widely. He was without his mask for now, leaving his face open for anyone to see.

"Just wandering the halls." He whispered, slowly making his way to Gasper's side. "How bout you?" Lelouch found himself yawning as well. Gasper's yawn was apparently contagious.

"I couldn't sleep." Gasper admitted softly as the pair began to talk as they walked the halls. "I'm really nervous about the upcoming Game." Clutching his skirt, Gasper looked down at the floor in shame. "I really wanna help Rias, but I'm just so _scared_ that everyone will see me and think I'm a monster." Shame flushed the young boy's cheeks as he admitted his fear to Lelouch before he felt the Knight begin to rub his head much like how Gasper had seen him rub Koneko's.

"You're not a monster, Gasper." Lelouch said as he softly pat the boy on his head comfortingly. "You're a good kid, you just need to have a little more confidence in yourself." He smiled at the young boy as they reached his room. "Rias wouldn't think less of you if you asked her to stay out of it, she's already really impressed you've managed to come out of your shell so far." Truly, between him, Koneko, Rias, and Issei, Gasper had managed to regularly interact with them without having a breakdown as he froze time to try and escape.

Kiba, Akeno, and Asia spoke with Gasper less than they did, but it wasn't because they didn't care. They were just wary of overwhelming the poor boy and chose to leave most of the interaction between the four Gasper had connected the most with.

"I don't want to be a coward." Gasper whispered as he opened his door to walk in so he could try and get some rest. "But I don't know if I can be brave. What if you're wrong and everyone thinks I'm just some monster?" Gasper looked up at Lelouch through the fringes of his hair as tears slowly dripped down his cheeks.

Lelouch knelt down on one knee and looked Gasper in the eye. "If you like, I can tell you a story about a real monster, and you can decide for yourself whether you're anything like him." Lelouch gave the Dhampir a soft smile as he pat his head. "What do you say?"

"A story? About a real monster?" Gasper's voice was soft as he considered Lelouch's offer.

Lelouch smiled as he walked into Gasper's room and helped tuck the shy, scared Bishop into bed. He began his tale, brushing Gasper's hair slightly like he had occasionally done to Rolo once he was safely inside his oddly cozy coffin.

"Let me tell you a story about a man known as the Demon Emperor."

* * *

 **The Tea Incident actually happened in one of the shorts, I simply took it to its logical, and admittedly mildly graphic, extreme and then tacked on the emotional toll that would follow when a young fifteen-year-old full of insecurities finally ends up getting something akin to what she wants only because she was drugged up and essentially forced herself on her crush.**

 **Koneko's confession is more heated than Akeno's because of the greater emotional connection she has with Lelouch, but that doesn't mean Akeno can be counted out just yet. Akeno is more flexible since she doesn't** ** _love_** **Lelouch yet, she just wants to see how things work out. Meanwhile Koneko is head over heels, but that's not a good thing when dealing with someone as emotionally self-destructive as Lelouch. I'd say that their odds of ending up with him right now are about even.**

 **Lelouch's opinion of himself is tied greatly to his** ** _huge_** **guilt complex, but that's why he's telling Gasper an abridged version of his actions as Demon Emperor. He's trying to convey that Gasper isn't the real monster, Lelouch is. Even if he doesn't end up telling Gasper who the Demon Emperor's identity is (which he won't), he gives Gasper a foil to compare his own actions to which comforts him as he tries to deal with his fear of being called a monster.**

 **Now, to answer a couple questions I saw in my reviews.**

 **The reason Lelouch feels like he violated his belief that "the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed" is because when you are unable to permanently die, death loses its meaning and it makes it impossible for him to follow that belief. Death without permanence is not true death. That's why he feels as though he's betrayed his core principles.**

 **He can still die, but the fact that it's a temporary death when he takes a fatal wound means that he violates the spirit of his principles, even if the literal meaning is still possible.**

 **A little clarification about Lelouch and the Code. The mark that appears on C.C.'s forehead is what is on the back of his neck. The scar on his chest is identical to the scar C.C. has beneath her breast except for the sigil of Ophis, the infinity symbol enclosed by a perfect circle, that she grafted over it, the circle beginning and ending at the highest "points" of the scar. The infinity symbol is in the exact place it is in Ophis' sigil, just with the scar beneath it.**

 **Next, I'm of the belief that the Code activates upon the Bearer's first death and said death leaves a scar in the shape of a Geass pierced by a blade signifying the permanent loss of Geass. The mark, that is what appears on C.C.'s forehead, is the mark of the Code of Immortality. The scar symbolizes their death while the mark symbolizes their eternal life.**

 **Lelouch had no idea he had either mark until he first saw the scar on his chest, hidden until his first death, in that changing room. He didn't recognize it because it had been some time since he saw C.C.'s scar and he never saw the mark on the back of his neck. And the addition Ophis made its appearance different enough he didn't think to connect it, he just considered it an odd wound from being killed by a Fallen.**

 **For the person who suggested that Rias should instantly make the connection between said mark and Lelouch's personal sigil, the Black Knights' emblem is different in appearance to enough of a degree that she wouldn't make the connection. Also, she only saw a flash of it when the wind blew away the back of Lelouch's hair for a moment, it's not like she has both symbols under a magnifying glass.**

 **Finally, here's a little more clarification for those who still don't get it. When you take a fatal wound and you have a Code, you do die. But the Code revives you after a little bit of time, the time can vary depending on the severity of the wound, but having the Code doesn't mean you are immune from fatal attacks. The first death Lelouch had was also the longest it took him for him to be revived and that's why he was able to be cremated.**

 **The death by Fallen Angel was the first death he experienced in the DxD world, and he did indeed die. But by the time Rias was attempting to convert him into her Knight, his Code had already begun healing him. The conflicting powers made it so that his body wasn't healing nearly as well as if only one was doing the work, causing concern to everyone (no one knew he would ultimately survive no matter what) which is why Koneko healed him.**

 **With the constant application of Devil healing magic, Lelouch's Code adapted and began to work with the power rather than fighting it, making it easier to heal him. Although, you don't need to be dead in order to be converted into a Devil by an Evil Piece. That's just a common misconception.**

 **Trust that I know my story better than you. I spend a lot of time doing my research to make sure that what I write is accurate, but I don't write from the perspective of a narrator very much if at all. I write from the perspective of the characters and characters are not able to know nearly as much as I do about the direction I'm taking the story. That's why what is said in the story may not immediately be the case, because the characters are operating off of limited information rather than all of it like I am.**

 **The Game is next chapter and then you'll all get to see what Ketsu said to make Lelouch laugh like his old self for a moment.**

 **Sorry about the long Author's Note.**

 **If you enjoyed the chapter, please review.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


	12. Chapter 12: Let The Rating Games Begin!

**Hey everyone. I know this chapter looks to be a bit short, it's only about seven thousand words after all, and I know it's been awhile since I posted anything, but I have my reasons.**

 **First and foremost, on Christmas Day I found out that I had lost my Uncle suddenly and I was just absolutely numb for a solid week. It was a heart attack and there was just absolutely no way to expect it since he had always taken such good care of himself. I loved him a lot and I am still feeling partially hollow to this day.**

 **With that sort of kickstarting my depression again, I found it really hard to get into the mood to write anything of a decent quality. I had a lot of this done before today, but it was nowhere near my personal standards to where I would feel good about posting it. I would just be posting it to put something out there, it wouldn't be good for you or for me.**

 **I don't know what kind of reputation I have on this site, but I like to think it is one where no one would expect me to put forth half-assed results.**

 **Anyway, on top of that, I also started my final semester of undergrad a few weeks ago. Good news, I'll be graduating this spring and I got into the law school I wanted so I'll be heading there in the fall. Bad news, I seem to have contracted a severe case of senioritis to go along with my depression which I have been attempting to drown out by playing through Fate/Grand Order and binge-watching various anime (the most prominent ones being Fate/Apocrypha and Log Horizon) in an attempt to help me feel better.**

 **Better news. I will have zero summer classes this summer so I should potentially be more free to write for this and Zero's Revolution (I know I typically update both at the same time, but the quality for the next chapter on that one is WAY worse than this one which only needed some touching up, it'll still be awhile before that one gets updated unfortunately).**

 **Unfortunately, I will also be moving over the summer so that extra time might get eaten up quick even before I start my classes in law school. I won't know until summer, but I'm cautiously optimistic.**

 **This'll be the last chapter for at least a month or two I'm sorry to say, but I can promise I will do my best to update as soon as I find myself capable of quality writing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.**

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Let The Rating Games Begin!**

* * *

Lelouch sat with his arms resting on his knees, relaxing on his bed as he awaited Koneko's arrival so that the pair of them could leave for the ORC clubroom. The battle against Riser would begin in less than half an hour. He had been avoiding Akeno since the last day of training ended, but thankfully the Queen hadn't pressed too hard. Things were complicated enough at the moment without having to answer her confession from a few days ago, not to mention the storm that would result if Koneko was around when the Knight and Queen discussed said confession.

"Ready to go?" Koneko hopped down the last step after he spoke, turning to him with a slight grin. Things weren't exactly smooth between the two of them, but the sight of Lelouch in the jacket she had gotten him as a gift brightened her mood a little bit.

"As ready as I can be." The Rook stated after she took a steadying breath. She was… nervous, there was no way around admitting that. In the past, she had only truly had the opportunity to go all out against Strays, to have the chance to go after other Devils with her full power was… both exciting and unsettling. The consequences of this battle would be massive, win or lose and that made her nervous.

At least she had dressed comfortably, wearing a pair of pawprint gloves that were of the same padded variety martial artists wore and her clothing consisted of her usual hairpins and a black and gold Chinese style qipao dress. She wore her usual pair of shoes, leaving her legs bare of any impediments to her mobility. While it was different from her usual outfits, it was something that she felt comfortable in and would offer her a great deal of mobility, though the downside was that her black specked panties would be visible if she wasn't careful. Her comfort mattered little though when it came to combat capabilities, shame had no place on the battlefield.

Lelouch, on the other hand, was wearing the jacket Koneko had gotten him as a gift, unzipped for the moment and his hood was left down, a tank-top colored a dark blue beneath it with a pair of black pants and dark boots covering his feet.

As the pair stood, Lelouch's phone began to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket as Koneko created a magic circle to transport them to the clubhouse, Lelouch waved her through. "Don't worry about it, I'll answer then meet you there after I'm done talking." After a moment's hesitation, Koneko nodded and left through the circle, a flash signaling her departure.

After swiping the icon to answer, Lelouch held the phone up to his ear. "Hello." He blinked in surprise as the individual on the other end spoke. "Really so soon? I thought you said it would take longer?" Then something was said that made Lelouch frown. "Extra, what? I didn't…" Lelouch paused then sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't have the time to go there and speak with you in person. I have something I need to handle now. I'll meet with you sometime later in the week." The other person sounded displeased, but acquiesced to Lelouch's demands. "I have to go, keep a record of everyone who has been involved, I'd like to examine it personally."

This was annoying, or at least that's what Lelouch was thinking as he created a magic circle to take him to the clubroom after hanging up.

Lelouch sighed as, from his perspective, ORC clubroom appeared around him. Transportation magic really was interesting to experience. There was almost no feeling of actual movement, unless he was walking through it or he was using someone else's portal, but even then it only felt like he was walking through a door. Opening his eyes, he looked around the room and frowned as he only noticed Akeno lounging on Rias' desk. "Where's Rias?" He asked, before almost immediately noticing the shower as it turned on. A deadpan look came over his face as Akeno giggled. "Of course, nevermind." Lelouch really wasn't all that surprised, of course Rias would take a shower right now. She was probably really stressed out and he knew that nothing helped the redhead relax quite like a quick hot shower or a dip in the hot springs. Taking a seat on one of the couches, Lelouch leaned back and took a deep breath, attempting to meditate to maintain his calm.

As he was internal grumbling about Rias' habits before attempting to meditate, Akeno had sauntered over to where Lelouch was sitting and sat down next to him. "So, do you have an answer?" She asked, feeling hopeful that he might give her a chance to see where these feelings of hers could lead them.

"Where's Koneko?" Lelouch deflected, asking after his companion who had left before him.

"She's gone down to the basement to talk with Gasper." Akeno's answer prompted a frown from Lelouch, but she wouldn't let him escape that easily. "I know you're nervous, but if you have an answer I would really like to hear it." Akeno wasn't exactly pleading, but she and Lelouch were alone so rarely that she didn't know when the next opportunity to ask this privately would occur without her forcing it and making everyone else suspicious.

"I don't think we should discuss this right before we go into battle." Lelouch deflected again, this time with an argument he had been considering for a while now. "I don't think it's a good idea." He opened his eyes and looked at Akeno, whose usual smile was gone as she took what he said seriously.

"I understand." Akeno was… not pleased with that noncommittal reply, but Lelouch did have an irritatingly good point. With that somewhat frosty response, Akeno stood up and left Lelouch in peace.

Over the next few minutes, the rest of the Peerage began to file into the room, Kiba through the door alone, Koneko carrying Gasper's box as she brought the Dhampir into the room though it took a while for him to peek his head out from the inside. Rias left the shower after she finished getting dressed and dried her hair. Issei and Asia filed in soon after, a comfortable silence between the two housemates.

Lelouch sighed through his nose after Koneko sat down next to him, she refused to sit in his lap after the Tea Incident and his not quite rejection of her confession still stung. Ruminating on this was not needed before battle so he redirected his attention towards attempting to meditate. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't quite get his situations with Akeno and Koneko out of his head.

He had managed to convince Akeno to wait for his answer after the Rating Game. It may not have been the best idea, but he was wary of screwing up their cohesiveness as a Peerage by letting her know it right before they all fought because he doubted his answer would be kept secret given the reaction he expected from Akeno. Koneko, on the other hand, was taking his silence… not well, but not exactly great either. Living together gave her many opportunities to push him for an answer, but she never took them. Something Lelouch appreciated.

Giving up on meditating as a lost cause, Lelouch decided to observe the people who he would be going into battle with this evening. Opening his eyes to look around the room to take stock of the rest of Rias' Peerage, he began observing their movements out of a habit that he had developed back when he had first become Zero.

Observing his men would allow him to know whether they were going to be able to complete the duties he had assigned to them and the same principle applied to this group, at least as far as Lelouch was concerned.

Kiba was dressed in his school uniform, like Akeno, though he had some armor, a gauntlet on his nondominant arm and some grieves on his shins, so he could defend himself better than if he just wore his normal uniform. The only ones who were wearing their uniforms without modification were Rias and Issei, considering Akeno could summon her priestess robes any time she desired. Asia was dressed in her habit, though without the crucifix for obvious reasons.

Gasper was wearing the Kuoh uniform, but it was the one for girls as usual. His Hannya mask covering his face from his eyeline to his chin, covering his nose and cheeks though leaving his ears uncovered by the hard plastic, but his nervousness was clear as it could be as he clutched his skirt, his knees pressed together and his knuckles white as snow. It was a miracle Gasper wasn't hyperventilating right now, but perhaps it had something to do with Issei's idea of giving him a box to sit in so he could "retreat" and close the flaps if he wanted to hide away.

The idea was that it was similar to his coffin, but easier to transport. So far it appeared to be working as a decent placebo for Gasper.

"Remember the plan everyone." Rias said, her foot tapping in nervousness as she tried to keep everyone's morale up. She had shifted her position as Lelouch analyzed everyone so that sitting at her desk in the clubroom. She leaned back, her arms crossed beneath her bust. "Riser's immortality is dependent on how much energy he has, if we can wear him down by forcing him to keep regenerating he will be forced to give up once he no longer has the energy to fight." It was something Lelouch had helped her come up with once she told him the details of the Phenex Clan's immortal flames.

Continuous regeneration because of magical flames was not true immortality. As such, there was no way it was impossible to defeat a Phenex. It was incredibly difficult, true. But by no means was it impossible. The problem was wearing the Phenex down enough to the point where his bloodline failed him and his immortal flames were snuffed out, rendering him just as mortal as almost anyone in this room. But that would be the only problem if they were facing Riser head on. Because they would also be taking on his Peerage another problem presented itself, the problem of ensuring that enough of them remained with enough energy to fight Riser and wear him down in the first place after they took out his Peerage.

Essentially, the most difficult part would be defeating Riser's Peerage with minimal effort while exerting the maximum effort to wear Riser down once his Peerage was gone. And that was where Lelouch's strategy for eliminating Riser's Peerage came in handy.

"But first, we need to eliminate as much of Riser's Peerage as fast as we can." Rias' foot stopped tapping as she sighed, opening her eyes to stare at everyone seriously. "Lelouch," she stared at him across the room. "Are you absolutely certain you, Ketsu, and Mika can do this?" The Knight's Familiars had a large part in this plan, if it weren't for them, this plan wouldn't work.

"Based off of what they have told me of their capabilities, the only danger is to myself." Lelouch answered, petting Koneko's head as the girl purred. While she was still upset with him she wasn't going to refuse the comfort he offered her, though only Lelouch noticed the icy stare Akeno gave him as he continued to speak. "If all goes well, most of Riser's Peerage will fall hook line and sinker into the trap we have devised." Lelouch's plan and Rias' knowledge of her own Peerage's capabilities had allowed them to develop a strategy that no one else could have used.

Still, no plan survived contact with the enemy, so Lelouch still couldn't help but find himself feeling… _nervous_.

They all fell silent after Lelouch's confirmation. There was nothing else they could do to prepare, the only thing they could do was wait for midnight to strike and for the battle to begin.

* * *

Sirzechs Lucifer sighed as he finally found the opportunity to drop his typical diplomatic smile, feeling an internal sense of disgust with himself as he hosted the party that would have his baby sister's fight for her right to not marry Riser as its main entertainment. He didn't give a damn about having been required to abandon his family name in order to maintain the balance amongst the Seventy-Two pillars, Sirzechs would always consider himself a Gremory first when matters dealt with his family's happiness.

Even if he was forced to act as though he considered himself only the Lucifer in times like this.

Bitterly, he turned his attention to the spell cast over the ceiling and wall, serving as a large screen essentially as it was beginning to flicker, signaling it would soon begin televising the Rating Game. With a bright flash, a split screen developed and both Peerages became visible. Riser had seated himself on a couch, surrounding himself with the various beautiful women he had chosen to allow into his Peerage. It was pure propaganda to claim they were all pure Devils, but that didn't stop the arrogant blond man from making that claim and others that still continued to hold such purity in high regard. Still, there was a rather visible contrast between Riser's Peerage and the motley group that Rias' Peerage consisted of, though one sight in particular caused the Devil King to blink. "Huh." He murmured quietly to himself. ' _I didn't realize she had found a way to control the young daywalker_.' Sirzechs finished the rest of the thought in his mind, not willing to risk anyone eavesdropping on his musings.

The young Dhampir he had gifted to Rias after rescuing him from his family years ago was still nervous, it was obvious Gasper was trembling in the box he was sitting in, but the determined look on his face was something new. To see such improvement, it brought a small smile to Sirzechs' face.

"Who is that boy on the couch?" The voice of Sirzechs' long-time friend and ally spoke from behind the King of Devils with uncharacteristic seriousness. "There is something about him that… seems odd." Ajuka Beelzebub was not one to make such statements lightly and so Sirzechs looked over to the young man sitting on the couch next to his baby sister's Rook.

A jolt went through the Lucifer before he reassured himself that what he was seeing was merely a trick of the light.

After all, what _possible_ relation could her sister's new Knight have with _that_ man? "I'm sure it's nothing." Sirzechs felt like he was lying through his teeth as he tried to reassure Ajuka and himself that what he was seeing couldn't be reality. "Regardless, I'm more interested in this odd strategy they seem to have come up with, what do you think, Ajuka?" The odd young man had summoned his Familiars and was speaking with them quietly, but not too quietly to be picked up by the transmission spell.

This strategy, it would be quite interesting to see how this strategy would work and Riser's response to it.

Ajuka noticed the momentary flash of worry on his old friend's face before it was promptly covered by his usual expression. His leader's deflection was painfully obvious, but the Beelzebub decided he would let it slide in favor of watching the Rating Game.

There would be time for questions when they were in a more private setting after all.

* * *

Riser sat comfortably on the couch in one of the various buildings throughout his fiancée's school, relaxing as his servants sent out their Familiars to scout the territory further. Information on the terrain was something he had been gathering for quite some time, but it wouldn't be smart to assume that the replica was perfect.

Most battlefields were of more natural phenomena, mountains or forests, so there didn't need to be as much detail involved in their creation. But when creating what amounted to a small town, for the campus of Kuoh included not only the high school, but primary school and university levels as well, things were vastly more difficult for the Devils who crafted the Rating Game's battlefield. It truly was quite massive and if there were any errors in this replica's creation, Riser would rather know before he ordered his servants out into battle.

Even if the odds were almost cruelly in his favor, Riser was unwilling to allow a simple error in judgment like failing to understand the terrain properly to deliver him his first true loss.

"Let's get ready to rumble!" Lady Leviathan's announcing of the Rating Game was a minor distraction, her giddiness was certainly at odds with how seriously many were taking this match, but Riser assumed she'd want to be part of it in some way given that she was the one who suggested a Halloween Party out of nowhere. "Is every… Hey, wait!" A scuffle broke out from wherever the Great Satan was announcing from before a more dignified voice sounded over the battlefield.

"Hello, I am Grayfia, the Queen of Lord Lucifer and I will be the arbiter of this Rating Game." The Strongest Queen's voice declared with great poise, heedless of the Lady Leviathan's grumbles in the background. "Lady Leviathan will be… _commentating_ for our viewers." A cry of "It's Levia~tan you stick in the mud!" Sounded before a sharp _bang_ sounded, followed by quiet groaning. "I shall do my due diligence to ensure Lady Leviathan's comments do not interfere with the match, good luck to Lady Rias, Lord Riser." A deep sigh sounded as unintelligible grumbles sounded. "This match is sponsored by _Miracle_ _Levia-tan_ , let the match begin." The last portion was mumbled out quickly, almost like Grayfia didn't want to admit such a thing.

Which, given what Riser knew of the oddness of Lady Leviathan, was almost certainly the case. Were it not for the terrifying amount of power he knew Lady Leviathan had, Riser would have no idea how some could take her seriously. She was absolutely insane by conventional standards, but no one could deny that her power was absolutely monstrous.

Shaking his head, Riser turned his attention to his servants, noting their exasperation before speaking quietly. "Have you finished scouting yet?" He asked, impatient to begin the actual battle. He was eager to get this farce over with and have the engagement party to celebrate his betrothal to Rias. Riser truly did not understand why she found him so repulsive, was it really just because he was openly affectionate with his dear servants?

Regardless, he could ask her once they were dancing at the party. As it was, he had a battle to win.

"Not yet." His dear sister spoke, her form somewhat tense, Ravel never really enjoyed fighting the way he did. She was not one to relish in combat like him or some of his other servants. "This campus is quite large, it'll take a little while to finish mapping it." Left unsaid was that this would give time to their opponents, who were already familiar with the layout and thus had far less need to spend time scouting the terrain. Good thing was that the eyes they had on the door of the building Rias and her Peerage spent most of their time in showed that none had left the building, only a few Familiars had departed from the dwelling according to one of the three screens that were projecting the sights of each Familiar sent out by Riser's Peerage. The other two were showing the results of the efforts of the other Familiars, scouting areas that might be useful to gain a tactical advantage.

Without warning, a black portal opened up on the wall behind Riser's Peerage and a voice rang out for all of them to hear. "Promotion: Queen!" Everyone in the room was startled and as they turned they were momentarily blinded by a flash of red light. What sounded like the cry of a bird screeched out before flying through one of the windows, breaking it. The sound of shattering glass shook the Peerage out of their reverie and they beheld the serious face of Issei Hyoudou staring at them before rushing out of the newly broken window.

Still blinking spots out of their eyes, one of Riser's Pawns failed to notice the next strike in time. A loud growl burst forth from the wolf that attacked her, drawing a cry of pain from the young Pawn as she barely managed to hold up her arm in time to prevent the wolf from taking a chunk out of her throat. She fell backwards, into the arms of her twin sister and whimpered slightly before one of Riser's Rooks punted the wolf out the window that the Gremory Pawn, now Queen apparently, had fled through. With a whine, the wolf faded back into its home world to nurse its undoubtedly broken ribs and the black portal that had allowed the Pawn access to the enemy base so quickly faded, preventing any other Pieces from making their way through the passage.

The entire exchange had taken all of five seconds.

"What are you waiting for?!" Riser shouted, as he growled in rage. "After him!" He ordered, feeling pissed off as he wondered how in the world the Pawn that had been so easily dispatched managed to get through without anyone noticing.

"Yes, Lord Riser!" Almost his entire Peerage responded, each flying out of the building as quickly as possible to track down the newly Promoted Queen. The injured Pawn had to be helped by her sister and thus moved a hairsbreadth slower, but each member of Riser's Peerage moved out with speed and grace that showed they were more than just trophies he chose to collect. While yes, he had indeed chosen many of them in part due to their overwhelming beauty, he had also chosen them because of their dedication to him.

Riser refused to have Pieces who were not absolutely faithful to him within his Peerage and so he had worked for many years to develop his relationships with each and every member. While they were not the strongest Peerage, not by a long shot, they were still one of the most dedicated to their King amongst Riser's generation.

Growling, the Phenex stared over at the broken window, wondering why the Pawn had chosen to flee after his promotion. Going over the past few moments in his head, Riser couldn't help but feel he was missing something, something important. ' _Right, the Boosted Gear_.' Riser thought to himself, his eyes narrowing in thought as he began pacing. ' _He probably wishes to use the power of his Sacred Gear to boost his strength after his Promotion so that he's that much more powerful_.' Confident in his deduction which quelled his uneasiness, Riser turned his attention to the observation spells he had up against the wall to watch as his Peerage began hunting down the singular Pawn of his opponent.

He chose not to leave with his Peerage because he did not wish to dirty his own hands unless absolutely necessary. Besides, staying back for the moment would also allow him the opportunity to gauge just how much force he would need to utilize against his dear fiancée's Peerage without unduly harming them. He did _not_ wish to get under Lord Lucifer's skin by hurting his precious sister's dear Peerage too much.

As he watched them scour the grounds, only managing to just tail the Promoted Queen after a loud cry of _Boost_ echoed throughout the battlefield, Riser smirked. It would only be a matter of time before the Red Dragon Emperor's newest host fell to his Peerage.

The Phenex would not even need to touch the Dragon.

* * *

Akeno sighed quietly as she took her place high in the sky, waiting for the right moment to strike. While she understood the plan Rias and Lelouch had concocted well enough, it was still far less fun than she thought it would be. The sadomasochistic Devil would much rather be in the thick of things, causing and receiving _delicious_ pain as she lost herself in the bloodlust between herself and her enemies. All it would take was one shot at the right time and… was she drooling? Shaking her head, Akeno disabused herself of her fantasy where she and her enemy, who looked disturbingly like Lelouch in her head, exchanged blows in a painful yet erotic fashion, until they finally gave in to their base desires and… there she went again. She quickly wiped the drool from her chin as she regained control.

Pinching her cheeks, ignoring the heat that had developed as she blushed, the Priestess of Thunder narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the battlefield below her. "There's one, two… three." Akeno counted the members of Riser's Peerage unknowingly falling into the trap, though they were only Pawns and one Rook it appeared so far. Casting her sights towards another direction, she grinned as she beheld the beautiful sight of a plan coming together.

There were still too few for her to begin her portion of the plan, so instead Akeno decided to watch with a sadistic smirk as things began to unfold.

Meanwhile, as Akeno was fantasizing, Kiba found himself wiping his forehead as he leaned back against a tree. "All done." The blond Knight just finished wrapping up the contingency plan, a vast number of barriers surrounding the old school building and various traps throughout the forest to bait any who failed to fall in the main trap that was set. "Clear on my end, how's it going on everyone else's?" He spoke clearly and carefully into the communication spell Rias and Akeno had crafted, though having it so close to his ear certainly felt odd.

It was almost like his inner ear was being tickled.

"Slow and steady." Lelouch panted, his exhaustion evident even though Kiba couldn't see him. "Mika got taken out quick, but so far everything else is going to plan." With that, Kiba's fellow Knight checked out of the conversation, far more focused on the environment around him.

"Some are here, but not enough." Was Koneko's succinct reply as she waited in her position. "Gaspie's okay, for now." The Bishop was… being somewhat _difficult_ due to his fears and so, instead of assisting Kiba with the contingency plans, it had been decided Koneko would help guard Gasper and try to help him deal with everything so that he could fulfill his part of the plan.

"Sorry." Gasper mumbled quietly in the communicator before falling silent, a reassuring chuckle echoing from Rias as she assured her fearful Bishop that everything was going to be okay.

Kiba smiled as he sensed the compassion of his King, knowing that she was just as proud of Gasper as everyone else in her Peerage. While the young Dhampir had begun to hyperventilate as he realized that things were going to get serious after they were all transported to this pocket dimension, none of them held it against the boy.

It would take more than friendship and encouragement to help Gasper banish his fears entirely, just the fact that he was still willing to fight spoke volumes of how far he'd come.

"Bored." Akeno's blunt reply drew a smile from Kiba's face as he chuckled.

"Issei, how about you?" Kiba attempted to prompt the Pawn to respond, wondering how the pervert was handling his portion of the plan.

"Can't talk." Issei whispered through the communicator. "I'm almost there." The confirmation that the Pawn had almost made it to his designated point was all the others needed to hear.

With the check-in complete, things quieted down amongst Rias' Peerage, at least verbally. Kiba began making his way to his next checkpoint carefully as he did not want to be seen by Riser's Peerage and blow the plan wide open. Eventually, he found his way out of the forest and watched as Lelouch charged into the gymnasium, a decent number of Riser's Pieces hot on his heels.

"Akeno now!" Lelouch shouted, and almost immediately after being prompted a thunderbolt the size of the gym dropped from the sky. The gym was almost obliterated on impact, the explosion forcing Kiba to take cover before any of the debris could hit him. The Knight also found himself forced to cover his eyes as he was buffeted by explosive winds and to prevent any dust from hampering his eyesight.

It would be a shame if a swordsman like himself fell simply because he got some dust in his eye as a result of his allies' own trap.

Observing the area as the dust began to settle, a vicious smile graced Kiba's face.

The plan was a success, or so it appeared for the moment.

* * *

Lelouch blinked as time restored itself around him, a slight smirk coming across his face as he beheld the destruction surrounding himself, Koneko, and Gasper.

"Eight of Lord Riser's Pawns, two Rooks, one Bishop, retired." The shocked voice of Grayfia resonated over the battlefield as she announced the casualties. "Lord Riser's Queen, other Bishop, and two Knights remain alongside Lord Riser himself." Lelouch frowned at the proclamation, that was… not ideal. His goal had to been at least take out all eight Pawns and Riser's Queen so that the strongest Piece and those with the potential to become the strongest would not become a factor once everything was completed.

Lelouch grunted slightly as he felt his connection to Ketsu become severed, the Blood Raven announcing his intent to retire to his home in the Familiar world to recover. ' _Maintaining such a complex illusion for that period of time was exhausting Master, I'm sorry I won't be able to be of more assistance to you and your friends_.' The normally perverted bird's final words before vanishing were the truest sign of his weariness, given that they were not nearly as perverted as damn near every other sentence out of his mouth.

Swaying slightly, Lelouch took a seat on some of the rubble that had once been part of the fake gym. "I can't believe how well that worked." He murmured to himself as Koneko pulled him up by his arm, placing it over her shoulder as she dragged him away from the battlefield as Kiba and Akeno began fighting with Riser's remaining Pieces. Gasper was quick to follow the Knight and Rook as they retreated to take a breather, in order to get away from the angered roars of Riser's Peerage and Akeno's creepy giggling.

The small Dhampir shuddered as a tingle of fear went down his spine, making a mental note to never get on Akeno's bad side.

"You okay?" Koneko asked her friend as she helped Lelouch steady himself against a tree, some distance from the battlefield. Gasper was keeping a lookout as she checked up on her friend. "You look pale." Her observation drew a chuckle out of Lelouch.

"Ketsu drained me of quite a bit of blood to make sure he had enough power to do what he did, I'd be worried if I _wasn't_ pale." Lelouch ignored the sweat that dripped down his face as he took a few deep breaths.

Ketsu was a Blood Raven and the consumption of blood was something integral to his species for various reasons. The one that was the cause of Lelouch's temporary anemia was one of the more common ones, though it wasn't typically done willingly. Ketsu's power was related to the eye-like symbol on his feathered back, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to affect every member of Riser's Peerage without some significant boosts in the Raven's own meager reserves of energy. And that was exactly what Lelouch had offered his Familiar before they departed through the shadowy portal crafted by Mika's own power.

With Lelouch's blood sacrifice, Ketsu's illusion had managed to capture every member of Riser's Peerage, including the man himself. And all it had taken was Mika's ability to travel through shadow and Lelouch drawing everyone's attention to him with an outrageous claim of _Promotion_. Upon hearing a voice that had snuck up behind them, every single Piece of Riser's Peerage caught sight of the blood red eye on Ketsu's back, its effectiveness multiplied by the amount of blood the Raven had consumed from his Master, and once they bore witness to that red flash it was the beginning of the end for them all.

The first step was tricking them all into falling into the illusion, the next was making sure they began chasing "Issei" across the battlefield towards the area that would ensure they took the most damage. One of Riser's Bishops was quite the budding tactician and had attempted to send a few of the Pawns away so that they could Promote themselves, resulting in an even more complex illusion which made it appear as if they had followed her orders and made them believe they had broken off from the main group pursuing him when in reality they were all still following him. Some actually managed to get ahead and found themselves in the gym before the trap could be sprung and that was where Gasper came in.

He froze them in time, ensuring that nothing was revealed before it was far too late for anyone on Riser's side to do anything about it. Lelouch was not the most physically gifted, but with the speed the Knight Piece granted him he had managed to stay at least one step ahead of everyone in Riser's Peerage, with a little illusionary help from Ketsu just to be on the safe side, and he led them all into the gym. After catching sight of him, Gasper cheered and accidentally released Riser's Peerage from his power.

And it was at that moment he ordered Akeno to strike. And threw up the largest shield he possibly could for himself and his allies.

Lelouch clenched his fist as he slowly began to recover, forcing himself to stand up from his prone position against the tree. Being forced to cast such a powerful shield before he shouted for Akeno to complete her portion of the plan and Gasper had been forced to freeze time with Lelouch in his field of vision. Permanently ensuring his shield remained while he was frozen with it active.

It had been a risky decision, but once it became impossible for them to escape and still have all the members of Riser's Peerage in the gym barring the Phenex himself it was one he needed to take. Between the amount of blood drained by Ketsu to ensure his illusion spell was strong enough to ensnare everyone in the man's Peerage, the physical toll his body suffered as he sped through the battlefield, and casting a shield spell to protect himself, Koneko, and Gasper from Akeno's spell, Lelouch found himself quite tired.

But the battle was not yet over, as the slowly limping form of a Knight made her way over to the odd trio.

Lelouch allowed his **Arm of the Blackest Night** to manifest over his arm, the violet orb pulsing in tune with his heartbeat. "Go." Lelouch murmured to the Bishop and Rook. "Try and help Akeno with the Queen and Bishop, I'll handle her." With a soft and determined look, respectively, Koneko and Gasper followed his order, taking flight towards the area of the battlefield where lightning clashed with explosions. Surprisingly, the Knight, whose armor certainly appeared to have seen better days, allowed them passage unmolested. This prompted a raised eyebrow from Lelouch as he had flared his own wings in preparation in case he found himself needing to guard Koneko and Gasper's passage.

"I am a Knight." The woman spoke simply as she leveled her blade at Lelouch. "I will not fight those with whom I have no reason." It was a chivalrous answer, one he didn't expect from a Devil. Lelouch snickered, a Devil Knight that believed in chivalry.

How amusing.

"Tell me, are you prepared to die?" Lelouch asked as he flexed his clawed fingers, preparing himself for combat as he slowly allowed his Wrath to filter into his mind.

"Why do you ask?" The armored Knight asked, frowning at the odd question. It was rare, but death in Rating Games was not unheard of. Still, actively attempting to kill a participant was frowned upon as it limited their ability to participate in future Games if they were killed. And Devils did not like having potential future entertainment taken from them by someone.

Words came unbidden to his lips as he held his left arm out to his side, powers pulsing within his core. Smirking as he followed his instincts as he had when he had regained the facsimile of his old Geass powers, Lelouch responded. "The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed." A magic circle flashed just beyond Lelouch's palm and the Knight suddenly found himself holding a very familiar sword in the palm of his hand. The sight of the blade in his hand was a surprising one, but it drew a twisted chuckle from Lelouch regardless of his surprise.

To think he would find himself fighting with the very blade that had taken his life.

This was just too damn funny! A maniacal laugh escaped his lips as he charged forward to engage the injured Knight with the new blade in his hand.

* * *

While Lelouch found himself battling the Knight, Koneko and Gasper quickly found themselves embroiled in a fight against Riser's remaining Bishop, looking far more recovered than she had any right to be considering the power behind Akeno's attack that destroyed the gym. "Hot." Koneko mumbled as she wiped some sweat from her forehead before it could get into her eyes, the flames of the Phenex girl coming too close for her own comfort as the Rook dodged backwards with a decent jump.

If this was what it was like fighting Riser's younger sister she didn't want to imagine how hot his flames were, incineration would be a painful way to be retired from this Game.

The Bishop was gasping for air as she paused in her attacks to try and gauge what her next move should be. "You're pretty quick for a Rook." The blonde growled as flames flickered in and out of existence beyond her hands, revealing she hadn't quite mastered her powers just yet. While there was a good distance between Koneko and her, the Nekoshou could hear her opponent just fine.

Unfortunately, Gasper wasn't exactly in any position to freeze the blonde Phenex, her flames blocking his line of sight sealed both herself and the white-haired teenager inside an arena of flame. Thus allowing for some uninterrupted conversation as both combatants thought through their next moves.

Subtly sniffing the air slightly while her opponent blathered on, Koneko carefully attempted to pinpoint Gasper's location outside the arena of fire she found herself in. Maintaining this field had to take a lot out of the flaming girl, so Koneko guessed that it was mainly in place to block sight and prevent Gasper from being able to use his Sacred Gear to help Koneko. However, despite that, the fire had stirred up quite a bit of the wind which made it difficult for the Nekoshou to pinpoint which way she'd need to follow the scent to find her friend through these irritatingly hot flames.

Suddenly, well beyond the arena of flames, a massive explosion rang out across the battlefield that sounded eerily like a Dragon's roar of challenge.

Punching the ground to force the stone loose, the petite Devil grabbed a stone the size of a small boulder and tossed it at her opponent after she was distracted. The attack didn't hit her opponent, the blonde managing to send forth a stream of fire to intercept her quickly launched attack, but it gave Koneko enough of an opening to make a break towards the wall of flame she judged to have the weakest strength. Reluctantly, the Rook jumped through the fire, heedless of portions of her clothes being burned away, as she just managed to escape.

Gasper was gaping as he stared at her before moving to try and pull her further from the flames towards the edge of the forest. Towards safety.

Koneko, with her arm thrown over Gasper's shoulder, allowed herself to be helped as the Rook and Bishop quickly retreated as the arena began to dissipate. Patting herself down to put out the flames, the petite girl frowned at how exposed she found herself. "Great, I liked this too." She mumbled quietly, frowning at her exposed right breast. It wasn't fully exposed, but it was enough to present a weakness should someone manage to directly strike her skin.

"Hey look!" Gasper suddenly shouted. "I guess Lelouch managed to take care of that scary Knight lady." Looking up, Koneko saw that her friend was right, Lelouch had a few scuff marks here and there, but aside from that he was looking pretty good. There was blood on his blade, but it didn't look like he himself had taken any serious wounds. A small smile came across her face as she carefully waved towards her friend.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath Gasper and her lit up in a sickly violet glow and the sky was set aflame with the enraged cry of a Phoenix echoing into her very soul.

The last thing Koneko could remember seeing was the look on Lelouch's face as his eyes flashed a bloody crimson before darkness claimed her.

* * *

 **The battle will be resolved next chapter, when that will come out I don't know since I'm so busy with everything.**

 **Incidentally, my friend code on F/GO is 760,596,728 (the name is Zero, unoriginal I know, but I like paying homage to my most favorite show of all time) if anyone who reads this plays and is interested. I started playing in January to lose myself in the mind-numbing nature of a phone game for the first time (it's the only game I have on my phone) and ended up really enjoying the story. I have every event summon except Saber Nero (Bride) since the Saber Wars event and it's been kinda fun collecting them.**

 **Sorry again for the short chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed the reveal of Lelouch's master plan (not every detail has been so thoroughly explained yet, but that will be dealt with in the future).**

 **As always, if you enjoyed it please review.**

 **King Draconias Over and Out.**


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